Sabbath is the holy day that God has given us to rest from our mundane activities (Genesis 2:3), and to rejoice on His creation, made for us (Genesis 1:29,30). It is an activity established from the beginning of times and that is stated at the beginning of the best life manual we have: The Holy Bible.
Sometimes, as procrastinators and even distracted christians, we forget to make of this day, one of delight. It is a day to be in family, and to spend it acknowledging God more than the rest of the other days. It is a day to fully use it to teach our children about God’s love and the high and eternal importance of having Him as part of our daily lives and among all, inside our hearts.
It can be challenging to teach biblical truths to children. They can get distracted or even irritable. This is where we play an extremely important part. Our children need us. We are the ones who ought to teach them by example, patience and love, to love God with all their hearts. We ought to “start children off on the way they should go, so that (emphasis added) even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6, NIV.
There are many activities that can be fun to do with our children on Sabbath days. Here are just 7 of them:
1. Have a picnic lunch in the backyard or at a park. During the conversations, it is important to acknowledge the children and to motivate them to tell a little bit of what they learned at church that morning. It is crucial to be specific. Ask what project they did in Bible class, and after they respond, you can ask them why it was done, and what was the story that they learned. Then as simple as possible (and with excitement) expand their knowledge.
2. Watch a family Christian movie, especially if it is a bible story. There are many animated movies for children that teach them the biblical truths.
3. Bring the children to a christian concert.
4. Youth group programs that lead to children participation is something essential for them to get used to.
5. If you would like to try the crafty side, you can help your children create a scrapbook of pictures that tell a bible story using magazine pictures, or from the internet.
6. You can also go for a nature walk and tell stories that can be acted out by the children.
7. Sing praise songs while in nature that include dynamics.
Even when the weather doesn’t permit, you can apply these activities from the comfort of your home. Take your shoes off, be playful, and show that you are enjoying praising God in anything that you do. Your caring and loving attitude is what will make the difference.
Happy Sabbath!!!
Leave a Reply