Bible Stories

More than a few children in this generation are not privileged to hear bible stories on a regular basis. Fewer than half of those enrolled in Sunday School across the country attend weekly and even more are forced by parental decisions to be “elsewhere” when it comes to religious instruction opportunities. A significant number of parents have adopted the principle attitude that “if my child doesn’t want to go, I don’t make them.” The same applies to the attitudes of some parents toward regular educational responsibilities, and it shows now in the public school’s struggle for even regular attendance by some students. A generation has now been marked by a declining rate of literacy. Further exacerbating problems are declining vocabulary, more visual technology, and more technologically linked communication, but less personal conversation, less personal attention to children’s needs for feedback, conversation about life choices from responsible, caring adults. I make the case that every child needs a host of people to help them grow and mature. Community is vital to the health and perspectives of those who otherwise would depend upon television as their source of comprehending the world. Soap operas do not define or describe life as it should be modeled for the masses. The level of violence portrayed in video games and many forms of “entertainment media” compete with the worst battlefields of history. Such is the daily diet of many children. While I make no case that the Bible is free from violence, sexuality, betrayal and pain, I will make the case that it relates to those experiences in redemptive measure. The stories of the scriptures teach important lessons for life. I remember the words of a man who spent much of his life struggling with alcohol addiction and years in prison because of behaviors associated with that addiction. He said, “If I had only read the Book of Proverbs thirty years ago, I would have saved myself a lifetime of pain.”
I remember the big red bible story book with the full page pictures every so often.
It was from there that I learned the stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Lot’s wife,
Noah and the Ark, The Parting of the Red Sea, Moses and the Ten Commandments, Joshua and Caleb, David and Goliath, Samson and Delilah, Elijah and the Prophets of Baal, and on and on. I remember those stories read again and again through the years and the impact these and countless others have had upon my life. They formed a framework of understanding about God and His mighty acts in the world. As I heard the story of Jesus, and began to understand who He was and is, I looked forward to each new day as a gift of God, coupled with His promises and his blessings to experience and share.
I may not have a lot of other things that some find so attractive, but Bible Stories are one of those precious gifts I hope to keep on sharing with others.