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Holmes might have said, “Elementary, my dear Watson’, but is it really?
Does elementary school education begin in Kindergarten? Should it start in the first grade? Does it begin at home? In addition, what should we be teaching our little ones at the beginning of their life? The fundamental 3 R’s: reading, writing, and arithmetic? How about our spiritual beliefs? Or should we give them the plain, uncomplicated truth about politics?
While all of these have merit, my rendition begins at home, with God. And my choices of the essential 3 R’s to be used as a fundamental basis for this teaching are: redemption, righteousness, and respect.
In the beginning, God created us in His image, but man fell into sin and was punished. However, God loved His creation so much and did not want them to be forever lost to sin, so He sent His precious innocent son, Jesus Christ, to live on earth and to redeem us from sin by dying in our place on the cross at Calvary. Believing this to be true is why we will spend eternity with Him.
When Christ died, His Spirit became available to all who believed in Him. With God’s Spirit abiding in us, we are to become righteous, holy, and more Christ-like. Thinking, acting, and feeling as Jesus did, by teaching and loving others.
Respect is what the Ten Commandments are all about. Respecting our God and respecting others, even our enemies. We are to do this through prayer and by example.
These are the basics or the elementary teachings I believe we should instill in our children and our grandchildren, BEFORE, they begin school. If our kids can grasp the meaning of these 3 R’s, everything else they will learn in their lifetime will not detract them from being in God’s will. With the Sprit of Christ indwelling in them early on, wisdom from the world’s teachings will not overshadow or confuse them. Instead, they will become discerning and steadfast in their walk with God.
Finding the right answer might have seemed elementary to Sherlock, but it’s not as straightforward as one might imagine when it comes to when and what to teach our children.
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