As parents, we are always looking for ways to relate the gospel to our children. One night in particular, my wife took advantage of a unique opportunity during our family time.
When we’re together, we read the Bible. Sometimes, when we still have a hint of energy, we’ll make a game out of it. After reading, I’ll ask a series of random questions to see who was listening. It’s a fun way to talk about the text, and it keeps the kids on their toes. Those who pay little attention will have the hardest time winning the game. And on this particular night, the stakes were high.
My Bible replaced my finished dinner plate at the table. Family time was about to begin. “Okay,” I said, “before we read the Bible, here are the rules.” The kids were already stoked and leaning in intently, except for our youngest who has no idea what words are.
“The one who has the least amount of points in the end will have to make the beds for the others.” A burst of excitement swept across the table as the kids chattered about how each would score the highest.
So the game began. They all rolled up their imaginary sleeves, and I read from Luke 4 about the temptation of Christ. It was quiet for the most part—a few peeps here and there, but nothing too distracting.
Coming to a close in our text, I sensed their laser-focused attention. I posed the first question and continued the game. Hands went up. Answers were shouted. Excitement was in the air!
Points were adding up and reality was settling in. One of our children was behind in points. She was evidently distracted while I read from the Bible—and very concerned about how this game would turn out. You could see it all over her face.
I introduced a few rounds of extra points to give everyone the opportunity to turn the tables, but it made little difference. The gulf was too wide.
Questions were done. The game was over. It was obvious who the bedmaker would be. Oh how the game went from sweet to sour ever so quickly!
The bedmaker was very upset. Hearing her, you’d think the world was ending. But then, my wife intervened: “You know what? I’ll make the beds in your place, so you won’t have to.”
“Brilliant!” I thought to myself. I knew exactly where she was going. Now, I was excited about it all. I sat back to let her continue, eager to hear it myself.
My wife began to relate the gospel to our young ones. “You know, this is kind of like what Jesus did for your sins, right?” They were captivated. “When it comes to the Law of God, you just didn’t have enough points, no matter how hard you tried. So, you had to pay the price. But Jesus said, ‘I’ll pay the price for you so that you don’t have to.’”
It was a superb use of an opportunity to share the gospel with our children. Jesus is our bedmaker. He gladly makes the bed that we so shamefully messed up.
I thank God for my wife.
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