​Using Stories To Teach Lessons
We learn best through stories.
It's not a coincidence Jesus spoke in stories. 
Stories resonate in our hearts, reaching not only our minds but our beings.
Give a child a story with lessons, and they will have the truth hidden in their hearts.
That's why traditions were started—usually to teach or illustrate something.
Here's two.

The story behind the 12 days of Christmas
From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly.
Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.
It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to church members.
Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

1. ‘The partridge in a pear tree’ was Jesus Christ.
2. ‘Two turtle doves’ were the Old and New Testaments.
3. ‘Three French hens’ stood for faith, hope and love.
4. The ‘four calling birds’ were the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
5. The ‘five golden rings’ recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
6. The ‘six geese a-laying’ stood for the six days of creation.
7. ‘Seven swans a-swimming’ represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit—prophecy, serving, teaching, exhortation, contribution, leadership, and mercy.
8. The ‘eight maids a-milking’ were the eight beatitudes.
9. ‘Nine ladies dancing’ were the nine fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
   10.The ‘ten lords a-leaping’ were the Ten Commandments.
   11.The ‘eleven pipers piping’ stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
   12.The ‘twelve drummers drumming’ symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles’ Creed.
   
   How many beatitudes would you be able to quote? Or points of the Apostles' Creed?
   Not sure, if I know much...and these were expected of the children!

In a similar way, a deck of cards has been used to present doctrines.
How?
The Ace reminds us that there is only one God.
The Two represents the two parts of the Bible: Old and New Testaments.
The Three represents the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost.
The Four represents the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
The Five is for the five virgins. There were ten but only five were glorified (Matthew 25:1-13).
The Six is for the six days God used to create the heavens and earth (Genesis 1).
The Seven is for the day God rested after making His creation (Genesis 2:3).
The Eight is for the family of Noah and his wife, their three sons and their wives—eight people God spared from the flood that destroyed the earth (Genesis 7:7).
The Nine is for the lepers that Jesus cleansed of leprosy. He cleansed ten, but nine never thanked Him (Luke 17:11-19).
The Ten represents the Ten Commandments God gave to Moses on stone tablets (Exodus 20:1-21).
The Jack reminds of Satan, one of God’s first angels, but he got kicked out of heaven for his sly and wicked ways and is now the joker of eternal hell (Ezekiel 28:11-19).
The Queen represents Mary, mother of Jesus (Luke 1:26-38).
The King stands for Jesus, for He is the King of all kings (Revelation 19:16).
Count the dots on all the cards—365; one for every day of the year.
There are 52 cards in a deck; each is a week—52 weeks in a year.
The four suits represent the seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter.
Each suit has thirteen cards—there are exactly 13 weeks in a quarter.
When you want to thank God, pull out a deck of cards and be reminded of all we have.

Stories and traditions...meant to teach.
Isn't that why our flag means so much. It stands for something.
Read the story behind the flag. It will humble you to want to respect what it means.
It isn't an accident that our public libraries have removed the classics and replaced them with propaganda and stories destroying family and biblical values.
Someone is teaching your children.
Use stories to teach them something that's eternal.

I write about what matters...to you---
women, wives and moms---
about your family, faith and future.
I write about what's hard, what helps and what heals.
I show you how it's done. And not done.
I hold your hand as you find what matters to the Savior.
And let go of those things that mattered to you, but not to Him.
I write about what matters...to Him.
               Sonya Contreras

Child Training
Find other Articles on Child Training
Here:
Technology's Addiction
Freedom To Choose
The Minimalist Mom: Simple Steps to Rescue Your Child from Digital Overload
Catering to the Child
Using Stories To Discipline
Are You Being Challenged?
Making Your Child Obey
The Test
Do You Have Ugly Kids?
Do You See the Project or the People?
Are You the Child or the Parent?
Church Time and Quiet Time
Are You a Helicopter Parent?
Controlling the Angry Child
Stages of Parental Control
Homeschooling Myths Debunked
Preparing My Sons for Marriage
Trust and Obey
Made To Work
Holding Onto Truth
Letting Go of the Little Boy
Are You Patient?
How Do You Love Your Child?
Raising the Impossible Child
Premises for Child Training
Teen Trials
Preteen Trouble
A Place To Call Your Own:
Instilling Ownership in Your Child
The Why, When and How of Child Training
Freedom To Choose
Eight Don'ts of Discipline
Ten Do's of Discipline
To Have a Hamster To Hold: A Case Study in Discipline
Just the Facts, Ma'am
Time Out or Restoration
Training for Truth
Look What I Can Do?
Where's the Box
Finding Your Child's Gifts
Developing Your Child's Gifts
Dear Master of a Godly Child
Keeping the Tradition Going
Sleep--It's for Your Brain
What Baseball Teaches about Life
What's for Dinner?
What's the Value of a Dollar, Part 1
What's the Value of a Dollar, Part 2

Reading
Find more articles about reading here:
Why Read Fiction?
The Danger of The Wrong Story
Using Stories To Teach Lessons
Reading Chair Worth Using
What Do You Read When You Need Refueled?
Worth Reading
Home Furnishings
The Home Library: A Source of Peace, Calm and Security
My Utmost for His Highest
Reading: It's for Your Children
What Kind of Library Are You Building?
Book List: What Every Boy Wants To Read
The Bible with a Heart
Stressed? Read a Book
Books that Influence
What Is a Good Book?
Escape for a Moment of Time
What Is Fiction Good for?
The Case for Good Taste in Children's Books
What Should Fiction Do?
What Does a 5-Star Book Mean?
Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover
Treasures To Explore

Writing Articles
Find more articles here:
Why I Write
The Face that Shows
Do You Believe in Yourself?
The Publishing Process
Calling All Reviewers!
How Can You Help?

Faith
Find more articles about faith here:
Dear Faithful and Loyal Readers
Life Falling Apart? Try Gratitude
A Few Words about Marriage
When Suffering Gets Personal
What an Amazing God We Serve
Response to Healthy Gaming
How Miserable Are You? Are You Happy?
The Need for Meaning Even in Pain
Reminders of What's Important
God's Unmeasurable Love
A Quarter of a Century Spent for Our Country
What Were You Thinking?
Who Are You Watching?
Boundaries for a Better Life
God's Boundaries
Memories of a Hero Mom
The Ripple Effect
How Do We Think Like Jesus
Litany of a Waiting Woman
Ever Cook a Frog?
New Year's Reminders
They Galled Her Gammy
When God Speaks
A Russian Christmas Story
Be Thankful
Be Grateful
Are You Tired of the Same, Old Thing?
  (reprint)
Laughter—Why Laugh?
Mom
Are You Disturbed?
Unity of the Brothers
Encouragements To Declutter
Do You Have Too Much Stuff?
Too Much Stress
Getting Past the Noise—The Value of Silence
Are You Scatterbrained?
How Good Are You?
Looking for Something Good To Read?
A Cup of Cold Water
I Will Trust When I Cannot See
Encouragement—What Is It?
Being in God's Presence
"Einstein and the Professor"
When God Is Silent
Do You Crave Beauty?
Using Stories to Discipline
The Danger of the Wrong Story
Using Stories to Teach Lessons
God is in charge of the future
November Dare Joy Challenge
Ungratefulness
Developing an Attitude of Gratitude
Looking for Jesus
What Do Your Prayers Reflect?
Life's Little Pleasures
Daniel—Greatly Loved by God
Take Every Thought
Jars of Clay
What Do Your Words Reveal about Your Heart?
How Do You Get Strong Faith?
Too Busy for God's Word?
How Do You Think Like Jesus?
Reflections from a Mom
Pain—What's It Good For?
Why Marry?
Consider the Robin
One Life Who Made a Difference
What Day Are You Living In?
Interrupted by God
Is Jesus Really the Answer to Everything?
Are You Beat Up?
What's Your Hurry?
Are You a Manipulator?
Are You Salty?
Are You Condemned?
Trying to Understand?
Do You Expect Answers to Your Prayers?
Do You Eat Your Stress?
Need Focus?
Going through Trouble?
Immanuel—God with Us
Looking for a Relationship?
When God Says, "No!"
What Do You Do with Left-Overs?
How Great Is Your God?
Are You Needy?
How Do You See Sin?
What Do Your Words Mean?
Is Evil Overwhelming You?
Those Aha Moments
Is Your Soul Happy?
Are You Ignored?
Looking for the God Moment
Do You Know Truth from Almost Truth?
I Believe in Jesus—What Now?
Do You Have Your "Son"-Glasses On?
Less Is More
Singing His Praise
Are You Trying To Do It All?
What Do You Do with All These Prayer Requests?
Have a Problem?
Do You Know How to Pray?
Looking for God in Every Moment
Are You Receptive to God's Blessings?
Tell the Senate: Mothers Aren't Birthing People
Is Your Life Complicated?
How Do We Fight Evil?
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
Giving Up or Taking Away
the Bible is simple
Are You a Dripping Faucet?
What's Your Testimony?
The Final Move
Be Careful What You Wish For!
Are Your Prayers Answered?
I Choose Joy
What Have You Learned from Your Hardship?
Who Are You Trying to Change?
What's Your Five-Year Plan?
The Danger of "Aloneness"
My Colors
Are You a Whiner?
Are Your Works Approved?
Do You Think You're Stressed?
Is Your Soul Feeling Ragged?
God Speaks to the Heart of the King
What about the Details?
Have You Felt the Long-Suffering of God?
How Does God Lead You?
Do You Have Enough?
Don't Carry More than You Need
Cast the Seed
God Is Faithful
Are You Deceived?
Are You Essential?
Are You Safe?
Are You Tired of the Same Old Thing?
Does the World Make Sense?
Have You Seen God's Majesty?
Do You Feel Judged?
If You Only Had One More Day To Live
Are You Understood?
Do You Long for the Word of God?
Slow Down and Smell the Dead Leaves
Are You Hospitable?
Our Heritage Is Bought by Blood
Are You Disturbed?
Are You Depressed?
I Did It My Way
Finding the Simple Life with Meaning
The Simple Life
Do You Have the Right Words?
Did Your Dream Die?
On the Other Side of the Fence
Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence
Confessions of a Desperate Mom
Saving for Tomorrow
A Wedding Remembered
Who Will Stand in the Gap?
Are You a Protector or a Ruler?
Who Are You?
Are You an Image Bearer or a Wad of Cells?
Are You a Watchman?
Where Do You Find Meaning?
The Lamb of God as Told by a Scribe
What Love Is This?
Remember: The Symbols of Passover Explained
Tea and Rest
Do You Have Peace?
What Makes a Marriage Work?
When Life Is Awful
Are You Strong Enough?
Rules
Seasons
Be Faithful through Suffering
Do You Know the Word?
Wake Up! Strengthen What Remains
Are You Spit in God's Mouth?
Is Jezebel in Your Midst?
Do You Stand Against Satan Himself?
Are You Tired of Being a Mom?
What in the World Is Happening?
It's Not My Story
How Would Your Faith Compare?
Are You Sinking?
Are You a Rule Follower?
Useful for Him
An Intimate Moment with Mary
The Worldview that Makes the
   Underclass
Thoughts to Ponder
What Does It Take To Know the
    Heart of God?
See the Story in the Stars
Do the Scriptures Burn You?
Being in His Presence
Contentment: It's Not for the Timid
How Secure Are You?
How Do You Respond To Stupid People?
The Earthworm Is My Hero
Heart Issues or Issues of the Heart
Things Aren't Always What They Seem
More faith articles are found here:

under the Table of Contents. Also available in book form.
Or here:

under the Table of Contents. Also available in book form.
Articles on Suffering can be found  here, 

under Table of Contents. Also available in book form.
Special Days
Remember: The Symbols of 
   Passover Explained    
Aug 12, 2017 The Heavens Declare the Glory of God
July 4th, Freedom
What Is an American Soldier?
Valentine's Day: A Day of Love?
Memorial Day-A Day To Remember
Veterans' Day-To Honor Our Men
Fall Colors
First Thanksgiving Day
    Proclamation
Christmas: Stories behind the Songs
Christmas: Stories behind the Songs, part 2