Today, as I packed my daughter’s diaper bag for church, I traded Bibles.  I took her little pink Bible out of the bag and placed her little white Bible in the bag.  I do this every few weeks so she doesn’t use one of her Bibles more than the other.  You see, they were each gifts from her grandmothers.  I usually giggle a little at this seemingly silly act of not wanting to show favoritism between grandmothers.  This morning however, I was overwhelmed with a different thought: gratefulness.  I am so incredibly thankful that the first gift my mother and my mother-in-law brought to their first granddaughter after she came into this world was not the cutest outfit or the newest best toy (those did come later), it was the Bible.  What a blessing!  Both of these amazing ladies have a deep abiding love for God’s word; they have instilled it in the hearts of their children and now they get to teach it to their beautiful grandchildren. No gift could be more precious!

In 2 Timothy 1:5, Paul shares that it is the faith of Timothy’s mother and grandmother that abides in him.  This remarkable young man who influenced so many people did so because they had a passion for the word of God that they shared with him.  As mothers and grandmothers, we have this unique opportunity to influence our children in ways no one else can.  We are to train our children so when they are older they know which path to take (Proverbs 22:6).  What an awesome duty we are given!  Notice this instruction is specifically to the parents, not to the church.  While it is wonderful that our churches provide tools for our children to learn, we should understand that our children’s Biblical knowledge is our responsibility.  Do you realize that if you calculate the hours spent in Bible class, (assuming a child starts when they are born and attends every Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Wednesday evening) and compare it to the time spent in school, our children will graduate high school with the equivalent of about a second-grade Biblical education if they receive no outside instruction.  That is why it is so important for us as mothers and grandmothers to teach our children.  We wouldn’t send someone with a second grade general knowledge to fend for himself out in the world; this should be even more true when it comes to our children’s Biblical education.

We should each have the set of priorities that puts God’s word first in our lives and in the lives of our children.  If we are not equipping them and training them to use their spiritual sword (Ephesians 6:17), we are essentially sending them into battle without a weapon.  I am so thankful that I have an amazing mother that taught and trained me and a wonderful mother-in-law that did the same for my husband.  They knew what the number one priority was in their lives and what it should be in the lives of their children and grandchildren.  Each of them showed this in the seemingly simple act of bringing a gift to their first grandchild.  Now, every time I trade Bibles in my daughter’s diaper bag, I say a prayer to be that kind of woman!

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Kristy Huntsman

Kristy is Come Fill Your Cup's Editor-in-Chief. She is the author of Sanctified (A Study of 1st and 2nd Peter) , Redeemed (A Study of Hosea), and Appointed (A Study of Judges & Ruth) . Kristy and her husband, Lance live in Stonewall, OK where they attend the Stonewall Church of Christ. Kristy is a stay-at-home-mom who homeschools their two daughters Taylor and Makayla.

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