Creating a Big 3 Learn It Culture in Our Home Fosters Life
I can honestly say that teaching my kids how to study the Scriptures and then challenging them to practice the different parts of the Learn It O.I.A. process (observe, interpret, apply) is one of the more fulfilling aspects of spending time in the Word together. The truth is, I tend to lecture. When I’m not lecturing, I might be talking, sharing, speaking to, speaking at, teaching, explaining, or just plain old lecturing…did I mention that already?
You know what it’s like to be spoken at, and it isn’t all that enjoyable. For any of us. My kids prefer digging deeper, sharing ideas, drawing diagrams, and offering something to the study. They find keywords, main ideas, parallel ideas, imaginative correlations to the modern day, and even creative analogies that help bring the context to life. In reality, I prefer it too. When we’re at a cafe for a one-on-one, and I spend more time speaking than listening or bouncing back and forth, it’s deflating on both sides of the table.
Why? Because I’m anxiously aware of two things happening then and there: first, they aren’t personally engaged in the beauty and power of the Living Word, and second, I can see a shadow of the future where they aren’t actually equipped to handle the Text with life-giving care and caution and comfort.
On the other hand, when we’re unpacking the Text together, drawing diagrams and tossing around observations, forming questions for best interpretation, and sharing experiences and applicable opportunities, well, it’s invigorating. Reanimating. We both feel Scripture come alive, not only in our minds but our hearts. The Holy Spirit at work. There’s an energy about the whole experience, even when it’s not particularly revolutionary.
It’s as if there’s power in the Lord’s command to Joshua in 1:8 when he said, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.” So when the Text is deep within our kids, and they grow up examining it like the Bereans in Acts 17 and go on to mature in their ability to teach sound doctrine with the same fervor that Paul rallies Titus to in 2:1, then we know we’re in the midst of developing a Learn It environment.
After all, as a parent, the dad, I’m responsible for training up and equipping my kids, my disciples, to navigate not only the physical world around them but the spiritual world as well. And to do both requires that they’re fully capable and confident at opening the Scriptures, whether it’s for:
their regular quiet time in Word
following along during a sermon
digging in during a group study
researching for a paper or teaching time
understanding and engaging truth deep in their soul
How are you Learning It? And how are you teaching the next generation under your roof to Learn It?
The more I read through Paul’s description of the spiritual armor in Ephesians 5, the more I’m convinced that a large part of dressing my kids in the armor is teaching them how to dress themselves, which means learning how to study the Bible. Which means learning how to use each piece of armor on their own as they connect the dots in the Text with their life here in the dirt.