In the Old Testament, God taught His people to build rock piles so that their children would one day ask why the stones were there. When the children asked, the parents were to be ready to tell the story of how the Lord of Israel had wonderfully met their needs in that place. The secret was in being ready for teachable moments.

When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, “What are these stones?” then you shall let your children know (Josh. 4:21-22).

The parent-teachers of Israel were not to be boring. They were to do things that would encourage their children to ask, “Dad, Mom, why do we do this? Why do we always have an empty place-setting at our table?” (See also Dt. 6:6-9,20-25.)

The father who wrote the Proverbs for his son realized the power of a word spoken at just the right moment (Prov. 15:23; 25:11). He came from a tradition that used creative ways to open the hearts of children to life-changing perspectives. The Jews used education by rockpiles, by riddles, by object lessons, by drama, by word pictures, and by seeing children, over all, as being willing and active participants in their own learning.

Such child-ready object lessons are different from the kind of family devotions that are forced, ritualistic, and academic. These seldom have the desired spiritual effect. Unless our words come at teachable moments, they are not likely to draw our children’s hearts toward their God. About all forced devotions do is help a parent feel less guilty about something that he feels he should do.

Planning for and taking advantage of teachable moments is far better. Tender discussions about life while enjoying an afternoon in a fishing boat, a walk along a wooded field, a drive through the countryside, a spontaneous discussion during mealtime, or a tender Bible story and prayer at bedtime are usually far better received (Dt. 6:6-9) and much more effective. The challenge is that you can’t teach children this way without a lot of involvement and creative time spent with them.

Now, I’m not saying that we should not have mealtime devotions with our children. If it is working well and doing what you hoped it would do, then continue. But if all you are doing is trying to force your children to learn something, chances are they may be learning to resent not only Bible reading and prayer, but also you and your Lord.