By Dree Hogue

(Did you miss Monday’s post on Choosing Life Verses for Your Children? Catch up here.)

Monday, I shared with you my journey of choosing a life verse for my children. Once you have one chosen, what do you do with it? I’ll share a few things I have done throughout the years to employ my daughter’s life verses.

• Prayer — when our oldest was young, we developed the habit of praying over our children every night before they go to bed. We pray the same prayers every night. Their life verses are nestled within the words of those prayers. The power of prayer is real! Also, when they were teeny tiny, they were hearing the words of their verse over and over again. When they became older, it was familiar and comfortable to them as they began to take ownership of it themselves.

• Raise a banner! – We wanted out girls’ life verses to be somewhere in their room. Even before they could read, we wanted it up as a banner, and anthem over them everyday. Luckily, my mother-in-law is an artist and a gifted calligrapher. She painted these fabulous canvases for both girls. They are BIG and they hang in each of their rooms as part of the perpetual decoration. It is also something they can take with them wherever they go in the future.

• Teach – When my daughters were old enough, we worked together to memorize their life verses. It was fun to watch them interact and connect with the verse. By this point in their lives, they really could begin to own it! My youngest daughter, who was 7 when she memorized her verse, often quotes it in situations to remind herself who she is! There really is something special about memorizing scripture. It helps it take root deep in your soul and can then sere as a “go to” verse in times of struggle.

“So keep my words in your hearts and minds. Write them down and tie them on your hands as a reminder. Also tie them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home. Talk about them when you walk along the road. Speak about them when you go to bed. And speak about them when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses. Also write them on your gates.” Deuteronomy 11:18-20

This passage offers me great hope and encouragement that this isn’t some hair-brained idea I had along the way. For generations, the Lord has been calling for parents to make an investment of God’s words into our children! It is a worthwhile investment indeed!

DREE HOGUE and her husband Chris live in Tulsa, Oklahoma,  with their daughters Ashton and Noelle. They are expecting their third surprise baby in December — Jesus likes to keep them on their toes! Dree has been involved with children’s and youth ministry for the last 15 years. She is passionate about the power of the family. She, along with three of her friends, write for a Dear Abby-style blog about homeschooling, dearbraintrust.com.