Jean in Newcastle Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 What do you think about having kids copy Scripture passages on sins/character issues that they have. In one sense, I feel like the Word is alive and well and can have impact where we mere humans can't, but I don't want to build up resentment towards God's Word either. And if they are hardening their heart to your teaching then they might already be hardened to God's Word. Or God's Word might soften them. . . I go 'round and 'round. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 I would not want to build an associate of God's holy Word with punishment. Assign an essay and say that they have to include two Bible verses and one other quote from somewhere in their education, instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camy-7 boybarians 1 lady Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 We have not chosen to have them copy Scripture for this purpose. However, I have had them write sentences like "I will not be a jerk to my little sister" numerous times. But I think it is relative to your family. Maybe it would be acceptable in your circumstances to have them copy the Scriptures. I think as long as you have a good relationship and tie strings with your children often, any punishment you chose would be okay, but if you have doubts I'd reconsider. I always tell my children (especially my boys), that I am a true Bible thumper...that means I will literally thump them with my Bible if necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 I have that concern, too. That they will see the copying as punishment and become resentful. Instead I found it more beneficial for us to look up scripture verses together, read together, then talk about it. About what it means, how it applies to the current situation, what repercussions and blessings are to be gained from following God's word. I try not to do this for every situation, but there are times when I knew it was really needed. For us the copying would not have reaped any benefit, but talking about it has helped a lot. I think it shows more sensitivity, more of a desire to help rather than just mete out a punishment/consequence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 23, 2012 Author Share Posted February 23, 2012 I have that concern, too. That they will see the copying as punishment and become resentful. Instead I found it more beneficial for us to look up scripture verses together, read together, then talk about it. About what it means, how it applies to the current situation, what repercussions and blessings are to be gained from following God's word. I try not to do this for every situation, but there are times when I knew it was really needed. For us the copying would not have reaped any benefit, but talking about it has helped a lot. I think it shows more sensitivity, more of a desire to help rather than just mete out a punishment/consequence. Thank you. I did not mean that the copying would be punishment but am looking for a way to reach a certain child. This is a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 If you're looking for copy work exercises and already plan on having your child write something, then I see nothing wrong with choosing appropriate scripture verses. I mean, they have to write something so why not let it be something that could be possibly edifying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankcassiesmom Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 We use copying not during discipline for said sin but at times when they are cheerful and receptive. So we'll have a verse become their memory work so they will copy it during school as part of memorizing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 When my kids were younger, we did this under Memorization. The all-encompassing verse was Romans 12:10, Honor one another above yourselves. There were a few other choice ones in there, but this was primary. In case it might inspire newer homeschoolers, I'll also add that we had memorization notebooks (one for each child). They would memorize scripture, silly poems, historical info, etc. Once they were done working on a section, they would continue to review weekly for a year, and then monthly for the following year. They are now in 8th and 11th grades, and they are still required to review the memory notebooks monthly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Nyssa Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Maybe cherry-picking the verses you think they ought to pay attention to, could make them resentful. I guess it would depend on the child. I think it might work with my DD, but not my DS. And, your kids are older than mine so I really can't tell. But if they are studying the Bible regularly, and working through it, won't those verses come up anyway, in a more natural manner? Say, if you have a systematic program of study you use, or study one book of the NT per month, or follow the readings of your church (if your church has a reading schedule), or study the verses your pastor presents in his sermon each week, the kids would inevitably come up to verses that might well hit home.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 23, 2012 Author Share Posted February 23, 2012 But if they are studying the Bible regularly, and working through it, won't those verses come up anyway, in a more natural manner? Say, if you have a systematic program of study you use, or study one book of the NT per month, or follow the readings of your church (if your church has a reading schedule), or study the verses your pastor presents in his sermon each week, the kids would inevitably come up to verses that might well hit home.:001_smile: True. And I do think that God the Holy Spirit does bring those passages around to us as we need them. At least that's how it seems to work in my own life.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 What do you think about having kids copy Scripture passages on sins/character issues that they have. In one sense, I feel like the Word is alive and well and can have impact where we mere humans can't, but I don't want to build up resentment towards God's Word either. And if they are hardening their heart to your teaching then they might already be hardened to God's Word. Or God's Word might soften them. . . I go 'round and 'round. . . I think about this, also. DH had a friend growing up, and this friend's mom would make him go and read/copy the Bible as punishment all.the.time. The guy knows the Bible in and out. He is not, however, inclined to believe what it says or, if he does, he doesn't really care. (Granted, this mom was off her rocker, and I don't know much else about his growing up.) Anyway, I always think of that. I do think that maybe some research into things in the Bible would sometimes be necessary/warranted, but I would tread very carefully so as not to build up resentment, as you said. Idk. It's such a fine line... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 We have not chosen to have them copy Scripture for this purpose. However, I have had them write sentences like "I will not be a jerk to my little sister" numerous times. I have a suggestion regarding this. (Sorry for the slight hijack, Jean.) Instead of writing 'I will not be a jerk to my little sister', it may be more useful to have the child write 'I will treat my little sister with kindness and respect', or whatever is relevant to the infraction. Basically, word the sentence to reinforce what the child will/should do, rather than what the child should NOT do. Then the exercise is reinforcing what behaviour you DO want, rather than just what behavior you DON'T want. Just an idea. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 (edited) What do you think about having kids copy Scripture passages on sins/character issues that they have. ...am looking for a way to reach a certain child. I've tried this (not copying, but cherry-picking verses to tell them) a few times years ago, and quickly realized that this was one of the things that caused resentment in me when I was a teen in a particular church in the 80s. And that it just wasn't going to help change my kids' hearts and behaviour. So I stopped using Scripture to address specific issues as they came up in my kids. ...I do think that God the Holy Spirit does bring those passages around to us as we need them. I like the idea of generally stocking kids' memories with whole Scripture passages - for many reasons, though, not just "teaching." It's true that what we have in our memory can come back to us in secret, to privately offer us guidance and/or correction, or to offer opportunity to talk with Mom or Dad about issues we know we are having. (my kids have done this with me - those are some of the best conversations we've had, because in the end, relationships get strengthened and hearts get changed for the better) Edited February 24, 2012 by Colleen in NS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 I don't really have an opinion on this, but I just thought it was cute that you added "Obvious CC" to the title, in case someone couldn't figure it out. ;) I also think it's kind of sad that we have to put things like that in our titles, but I guess it's a good idea to help prevent having an innocent topic turn into a religiously-themed trainwreck (that usually ends up having nothing to do with the original post.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 I think it would be better to copy things promoting good values useful for anyone instead of a spotlight on their perceived sin. So, something about charity, neighborliness, helping the poor, and others are nice but not accusatory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 24, 2012 Author Share Posted February 24, 2012 I think it would be better to copy things promoting good values useful for anyone instead of a spotlight on their perceived sin. So, something about charity, neighborliness, helping the poor, and others are nice but not accusatory. Or truthfulness?;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Blessings Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I like the idea of copying scripture and I think it could be used in a regular rotation with little fear of feeling like "punishment for sin". On the other hand, if we are a little uncomfortable with what the scripture is saying that means that we recognize our trouble spots. This isn't a hitting over the head with scripture, but rather a natural acknowledgement of who we are as compared to who God is and what he requires. Of course, forgiveness should also be addressed. I agree with pp- conversations following a feeling of conviction of sin are extremely helpful in changing hearts, not just behavior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Or truthfulness?;) My kids would think this to be accusatory, and they wouldn't learn from it. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I didn't like to use scripture as 'work'. There were times that I would pick a scripture to work on, but it was verbal discussions that were linked with character traits and how we wanted our family to function going forward (trying hard to not dwell on the past). When the kids were learning to write, we used 'words of wisdom' type of resources. I would select many passages, and then the kids could pick which one they wanted to use for penmanship. It took a lot longer to do it this way, but by them selecting the passage, they took more ownership and gave us a chance to discuss them and what they each meant. They were quotes from famous people or from leaders of other faiths or cultures. We often talked about how similar these phrases or quotes were to ones from the Bible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 That's a nice idea, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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