A Tie Between Parents and Scripture by Alyssa Avant

A girl’s relationship with her mother is one of the most important relationships in their life. As a youth and children’s minister, I have done a great amount of research on who affects the lives of children and teens. Profoundly, every study shows that parents have the greatest affect upon the lives of their children, greater than peers, friends, teachers or others in their lives such as ministers.

I consider myself lucky that I have and have always had an excellent relationship with both my mother and my father. I reflect on my relationship with my mom and realize that it has shaped who I have become today. My mom was always open and honest with me about almost every topic or issue that I faced in life, from being scared of thunder when I was younger, to being the only girl in my class who couldn’t stay out till midnight in ninth grade. My mom was also brutally honest when it came to issues such as sex, drugs, and alcohol.

One thing my parents did without fail was to back up their discipline with Scripture. An easy way to share with each other what the Bible says about certain issues is to search the Scriptures for answers together when an issue arises in their life. My parents and I did this on a regular basis. I would often want them to “prove” that the Bible really said something so they would get down the Bible, search the concordance, and show me the Scripture. Today, as a result I can tell someone almost immediately what the Bible says about certain topics as I have been shown it myself, many times.

After all the Bible says in Proverbs, “Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he shall not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6. I also find evidence of the practices my parents used in Deuteronomy 6:4-8…

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. [a] 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them 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. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

Finding evidence of the way we should deal with our problems and issues in God’s word can strengthen our relationships with our children. I am thankful for parents and especially a mother who boldly proclaimed Scripture to me in times of trouble and was not afraid to look for it when she was unsure.