the legacy of d6 by Dianne Sargent It offers products that bridge the gap between Sunday School and home. Would my job as a parent have been easier and more effective if I’d had the opportunity to use products such as these? Absolutely!   Learn more about Clear Curriculum and the D6 solution at www.randallhouse.com.

SOME PEOPLE COUNT THEIR BLESSINGS because they were born into a prominent family of wealth and prestige. Others decry the fact that their family always struggles just to make it to the next payday. Then there are some, like me, whose parents focused, not on wealth and fame, but on the eternal truths of God’s Word and their responsibility to instruct their children in the ways of God.

From an early age, I remember Bible stories read as I drifted off into restful sleep. As I grew in understanding, those Bible stories gave way to Scripture reading. I was encouraged to ask questions and to read the Bible for myself. At no time were inquiries pushed aside or counted too hard for me to understand. If I asked a question, it deserved an answer.

Later, during my teen and young adult years, I was instructed in doctrine and the more difficult passages in the Bible. Yes, throughout this time I attended Sunday School, but my parents did not leave my soul’s destiny in the hands of someone who might or might not have a clear understanding of Scripture. They took seriously the Lord’s admonition in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, which says,

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”

Did my parents’ instruction at home make a difference in my life? I think it did. I may not have done everything just as it should have been, but in times of trouble and difficulties God’s Word guided, directed, and sustained.

When faced with the task of rearing two boys as a single mom, I remembered the instruction I received as a child at home and the knowledge and faith gained during those years sustained me during some of life’s hardest battles. So, I would follow the example of my parents. I believed God’s Word held the answer; it certainly did for me and I was sure it would be the answer for my boys.

So began the reading, talking, and explaining the truths of God’s Word. As the boys grew in understanding and the desire to know, any topic was fair game. No question was brushed aside. Yes, they too attended Sunday School, but I did not leave their spiritual education completely in the hands of someone whose understanding might be less than it should be. Did it pay off? I think it did. Are they any more special or gifted than any other mother’s son? No, but the emphasis placed upon God’s Word enabled both boys to make some hard decisions in order to follow God’s will for their lives.

My eldest son, Brian, is a chaplain candidate, studying at Columbia International University. He will return to active duty in the Army as a career missionary to the men and women of his assigned unit. Chris, the youngest son, has finished his master’s program in psychology with plans to serve as an international missionary wherever God leads. The legacy continues with the teaching of their children. Do they leave their children’s spiritual education totally up to the Sunday School teacher? No. Questions are answered and principles discussed. Home instruction is still the key.

Randall House Publications recognizes that home instruction is a vital link in teaching children and thereby reaching families with the gospel. CLEAR curriculum has been designed to aid parents in the biblical instruction of their children. It offers products that bridge the gap between Sunday School and home. Would my job as a parent have been easier and more effective if I’d had the opportunity to use products such as these? Absolutely! And my parents would have rejoiced to know that such educational tools were provided by their denomination for in-church and at-home use.

The legacy my father passed down to me continues. Now my sons are passing along the same biblical instruction to their children, and I am part of a denomination that is providing the necessary tools to make that responsibility easier and more effective. What kind of legacy are you passing to your children? Why not make it a D6 legacy?

Dianne Sargent is the managing editor of Randall House Publications. She lives in Nashville, TN.