Sometimes it feels like we are paddling upstream.
In addition to all these common challenges, your family may also have unique circumstances that make establishing a Christian home even more difficult. For example:
- Some of you did not grow up in a Christian home and don't know what one looks like.
- Some of you came to faith late to the game, getting serious about God when your kids were older and less adaptable
- Some of you are single parents, are juggling lots of balls and are worn out
- Some of you have an unbelieving spouse, and therefore no united front
- Some of you have kids who are particularly challenging
- Some of you can't have kids at all
- Some of you have kids who are already grown, and you have regrets about things you wished you had done
Here are two things everyone can do no matter what their circumstances:
- You can pray for your kids.
- You can set a good spiritual example for your kids.
I think that many times parents feel like they cannot work on developing their kids faith when they feel their own faith needs so much work.
ReplyDeleteThey are afraid they will do the wrong thing or emphasize the wrong principles or simply make a mistake that will send the children in a different direction.
I can understand how a parent would be afraid of "turning their kid off" to faith and living a Christian life. My parents converted to their religion when I was a young teenager, then proceeded to turn our entire lifestyle upside down because they were near fanatical and chose a religion that was very strict. It turn my sister into an athiest and damaged my view of God and religion for quite some time.
I think having reasonable expectations and not feeling like you have to immediately change your kids into spiritual champions helps temper this fear and hopefully makes you more effective long term.
Mark makes a good point. Sometimes we forget that God is the author of fun and humor too! It is absolutely possible to be reverent and have fun at the same time. Children learn about God best when approaching it as a child would. Make devotional time kid friendly.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of parents feel the same as Mark...I know I do! But I think one of the biggest factors in developing the faith of our children (or anything else in our children, for that matter) is modeling. It's living out our faith in front of them, the way we would want them to be as well.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely there are other things we can (and should) do to develop their faith...and the church is here to help with that. But I think modeling is so crucial, and by far the biggest factor in developing a child's faith.
I think one of the best things we can model is to admit our weaknesses - whether it's with faith(but especially with faith) or with other areas of life. If we're aren't cutting it in our christian walk - be honest- tell them I struggle with this, but I'm really trying to do better. We need to quit trying to be perfect for our kids and be real for them instead. And I think we need to turn off the media - can our kids even hear us if the tv and computer and video games are competing for their attention? - we need real dialogue to be real in front of and with the kids. We need to live out loud - that is, LOUDER than all the other things competing for attention in their minds! whoa- big job!
ReplyDeleteThese are all great comments. Building a strong spiritual home is a long haul kind of thing, not a short whirlwind burst of energy. And modeling in an authentic way is absolutely crucial. Our kids need to see that our desire is to make Jesus #1 in our lives, even if we mess up and are inconsistent. They need to sense that faith in Christ is a very important bottom line issue in their family.
ReplyDelete