Fill Up The Sponge

You’ve probably heard people say that young minds are like sponges, able to soak up information in the blink of an eye. You may have noticed how easily children remember the lyrics of their favorite songs or lines from the cartoons they watch. The question is no longer whether they can remember—but what we, as parents or guardians, allow them to absorb. What kind of songs do they listen to? What kind of movies do they watch? What books do they read?

Today, our society overflows with countless ideas ready to fill the sponge of our children’s minds. While it’s impossible to filter out every influence, we can train our children to discern right from wrong. How? By filling their minds with truth. And there’s no better source of truth than the life-giving words of the Bible. Remarkably, the Bible even tells us what kinds of things we should focus our thoughts on:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

But how can a child learn to recognize whether an idea belongs in one of these categories? Teach them diligently about God from an early age. They may not grasp everything right away, but early exposure to Scripture helps them learn to distinguish right from wrong as they grow. Listen to Christian music together, read age-appropriate Bible stories, and choose children’s books that are biblically sound and fun to read.

We’re blessed in the Philippines with a wide variety of resources and the freedom to practice and share our faith. But with this freedom comes the responsibility to guide our children to choose truth consistently.

This is a call to all parents and guardians: let’s fill the sponge of our children’s minds with God’s Word so that, as they grow, they can pour out His love and truth to everyone around them.

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SOFIA S. ANTONIO is an Evangelist’s wife, a homeschooling mom, and a servant of the King. She and her family travel all over the Philippines under National Hoops Philippines ministry to reach young people for Jesus. While she loves discovering new places and meeting new friends along the way, her ultimate desire is for young ones to find their way to the King. Thus, she enjoys teaching, mentoring, encouraging, even writing stories that teach valuable truths from God’s Word.

She is the author of the Hiyas book, Light Seeker, avvailable at OMF Lit Bookshops, shop.omflit.com, Shopee, and Lazada.

You can email her at sofia.antonio@nationalhoops.com.