My father-law-was a storyteller. He told stories so that his sons and grandchildren would know their family story.  He was keeping the family story alive in their minds and hearts. He wrote the family story down too. We call it Papa’s Story.   My father-in-law was also a faithful Bible reader and he loved to share and discuss his Bible reading with family.  In this way, he was telling another story, a precious story… God’s story.

The Bible tells us about a man named Timothy. The apostle Paul  thought fondly of Timothy and his sincere faith. Paul indicated that Timothy knew the Holy Scriptures from the time he was a young child. There were some special storytellers in Timothy’s life named Ruth and Naomi. This mom and grandma had a sincere faith and told Timothy the stories from the Bible.  They told him about Jesus and His love. Those stories filled his heart and took root through the power of the Holy Spirit. Through their storytelling, Timothy grew up to serve the Lord.

Who is the story teller in your home?

We have a wonderful story to tell!  And children love to hear stories.  Telling our children about Jesus is one of the most important privileges we have been given. Will we be like Naomi and Ruth sharing the love of Jesus with Timothy? We don’t have to speak eloquently or know every Bible verse and story by heart. We don’t have to be an expert in Bible knowledge or a Sunday school teacher. There is no complicated lesson plan to follow.  

So where do we begin?  Talk about Jesus every day.  Share the stories of Jesus and his love. There are some wonderful Bible story books available for parents of young children to read aloud. Some of my favorites are: 

• My First Read-Aloud Bible  American Bible Society 
• The Story Bible  Concordia Publishing House
• The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones

Children love to hear stories! They will delight in hearing stories about when you were a child. They will enjoy hearing about when they were a baby and special milestones such as their baptism. Keep on telling the stories, especially the story of Jesus and His love!

“Impress them [Scripture] on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.” -Deuteronomy 6:7-8

(Image Credit: rossyyume)