Spiritual Amnesia

There were just ten minutes remaining in the game when our coach realized that some of his younger players needed game experience. I had just gotten onto the field when a headball came my way. Eager to impress my coach and teammates, I leaped as high as I could to dispute the ball with my adversary. Inexperienced as I was, instead of returning to planet earth on my own two feet, I chose the opposite extremity of my person as my landing pad. When I came to, I could no longer recall where I was or what I was doing. Still more embarrassing, on the bus ride home with my teammates I was in for another rude awakening: I was under the impression that we had won the game, only to discover that we had lost 4 to 0! I was a victim of amnesia.

Anyone who has passed through even a temporary loss of memory knows the uncomfortable sensation of “waking up” to the fact that he cannot recall even the most recent events. It is nothing short of tragic to have a portion of one’s life erased! Nevertheless, an even greater tragedy afflicts many Christian homes today. Spiritual amnesia erases the remembrance of God from the minds of the next generation – our children.

Some might identify with the observation occasionally heard in Christian circles:

The first generation knew God

The second generation knew about God

The third generation knew not God

The greatest danger of this infirmity is the subtlety with which it contaminates its victims. Who would have imagined that the children and grandchildren of the “Moses” generation would abandon the LORD who had brought them out of Egypt? How quickly they forgot!

Try to imagine yourself as an eyewitness…

• Of the 10 plagues which decimated Egypt and culminated in the death of the firstborn,

• Of the crossing of the Dead Sea and the destruction of the powerful Egyptian army,

• Of the presence of God’s glory, guiding the people by a column of fire at night and a cloud by day.

In spite of such phenomenal experiences, the people of Israel forgot their God in just one generation. Was forgetfulness an overnight occurrence? Hardly. Parents neglected the transmission of the words and works of God to the following generation. All of which created a perfect environment for the cultivation of the virus of spiritual amnesia.

As parents, we must be alarmed by Israel’s failure. If their children forgot God so quickly after such awesome experiences of His presence, how shall we escape the same fate? How can we achieve victory over spiritual amnesia? How can we escape the negative effects of prosperity and complacency?

The preventative medicine advocated in God’s Word is none other than substantial doses of the Scriptures in the context of the home. The prescription is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, and calls for much more than “a verse a day to keep amnesia away”! God expects that His Word and the remembrance of His great acts dominate the life of His children. Their thoughts turn to Him naturally throughout the day. And mom and dad are the principal motivators in this experience with the Lord.

The “one-a-day” brand of Christianity which dominates so many homes – a prayer before meals, a daily Bible reading, regular church attendance – cannot immunize our children against the tremendous pressures they face in today’s society. God asks for more than a ritualistic interest in His Word. His prescription requires a vital and vibrant love for Him, as well as spontaneity and creativity in the exercise of piety. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 calls for “anything, everything, anywhere, everywhere” in the fight against spiritual amnesia.

Verse 4 constitutes the central declaration of Israelite faith, and establishes the foundation for the rest of the text: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our GOD, the LORD is one.” If there is indeed only one God, Lord of the universe, then all of life necessarily converges in Him. This theological truth, so easily affirmed, seldom translates into the believer’s “daily grind”. However, the text goes on to indicate how we can experience God’s sovereignty in our lives:

• “The LORD is one” (vs. 4)

• (my reaction?) “Love the LORD with all my heart” (vs. 5)

• (how?) “guarding His commandments in my heart” (vs.6)

• (how?) “teaching them to my children” (vs. 7)

• (how?)

  1. Speaking about them all day long (vs. 7b)

  2. Tying them as reminders (vs. 8)

  3. Writing them on doors and gates (vs. 9)

How can we apply these principles in our homes?

• Family instruction should aim to develop in our children a love for God (vs. 5). We must have a concern not only for quantity (frequent instruction) but also quality (train the heart to love the Lord). Boredom is an unwanted guest in family devotions.

• Love for God grows through knowledge of His Word (vs. 6). Just as knowing God’s commandments is a prerequisite to obeying Him, so family instruction must offer both content and application.

• The knowledge of God’s Word takes place when parents teach it to their children with diligence (vs. 7). The divine method for training men and women of God begins in the “Seminary of the Home”. Sunday School, Bible clubs, Christian schools, camps and many other programs can supplement home-based spiritual training, but never substitute it. God gives parents the responsibility of passing on the legacy of Christian faith.

• The family needs to be so intimately involved with God that its thoughts and conversations return naturally to Him throughout the day. Verse 7 outlines two occasions especially appropriate for spiritual training:

-all day long. Teaching should not be limited to a devotional after breakfast or a story at bedtime. Even the most routine moments of life – “when you sit at home and when you walk along the road” – offer occasions for theological reflection that is both spontaneous and creative. For example, the ants that carry their crumbs furnish food for thought about diligence (Proverbs 6:6-8). Finding a lost puppy gives opportunity for discussion about God’s joy when a lost sinner comes home (Luke 15).

-at teachable times. Researchers have confirmed what students have known for years: the last thoughts of the night tend to be the first thoughts of the morning, and the first thoughts of the morning tend to echo through the mind throughout the day. God reserves for Himself these highly teachable moments of the day, when formal and informal training best transpire: “when you lie down and when you get up”. Moms and dads who really want to combat spiritual amnesia should begin and end each day talking of the LORD, in addition to making every effort to promote spontaneous spiritual reflection throughout the day.

There is no limit to the number of creative applications of Deuteronomy 6:4-8: posters on the walls, music on the iPod, literature on the coffee table, and much more… You can use a variety of creative ideas to vaccinate your children against the virus of spiritual amnesia!   

"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds... Teach them to your your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you lie down and when you get up." Deut 11:19