Researchers state that memories that are formed in childhood are different from the memories formed later in life. Educators have recognized this and promote the exposure and learning of several languages in early childhood. While I was not the beneficiary of such language exposure, I had an equally important exposure which positively affected my upbringing.
My parents had the keen foresight to purchase an encyclopedia set for me when I was only 6 years old. I fell in love with it and spent every free moment reading it from cover to cover, all twenty-plus volumes. I am still amazed at how many minuscule and seemingly useless facts I can still recall since the time I first read them over 50 years ago. The average distance of the earth to the sun is 93 million miles. A dromedary is a one-humped camel and a bactrian has two-humps. I think I had a legitimate shot at winning on “Jeopardy” before I was a teenager!
I sometimes wonder if I had been fortunate enough to have been raised in a Christian family or attended a Christian church and read the Bible, what would I be retaining today? I came to God and Christianity as a young adult in college. I have always felt as though I was playing “catch up” with other Christians who knew Jesus Christ and the Bible from childhood. One incident reminded me of this when I was attempting to remember the Babylonian names that were given to Daniel and his friends when they were taken captive. As I fumbled through the names, several other adults chimed in, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego!”
“Wow, that’s impressive!”
They all laughed and my friend spoke up, “We used to sing this in Sunday school when we were kids! Never forgot those names!”
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6 (KJ21)
Whether it is discussing these blogs with my daughter and seeing how God’s Word can be applied to everyday situations or memorizing Bible verses with my son, I am keenly aware that the window of childhood is quickly closing. I pray that God’s Word will remain in their hearts and minds and they will be able to raise their children in a godly home.
Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.
The Bereans Blog 