As parents, we have opportunities for discipleship every single day. After your relationship with God, your next calling is to your family – your spouse and your children. Parenthood is ministry, and it’s an irreplaceable role that God has entrusted to you!
The smallest things have the power to make a big biblical impact on our children. When I think about who had the greatest impact on my life – who invested the most time in discipling me – it’s my parents. They laid the foundation of the faith in my life. They shared the gospel, pointed me to Christ, set the example, and helped shape who I am today.
How awesome that we have the privilege of leading the next generation – our very own kids, to Christ, too.
We want our children to have a relationship with God, to know their purpose and identity in Christ, to be kind, compassionate, wise, responsible, and successful; and we have the responsibility of teaching them what love, honesty, integrity and compassion look like. Of helping them understand and see the world as God does, make wise decisions, and share the gospel. We have to be intentional about laying the groundwork and cultivating faith in their lives.
God’s Word assures us:
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
Bringing faith into your kids’ daily routine doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be as simple as…
- Telling God “good morning” with them and thanking Him for a brand new day
- Praying together at the breakfast table
- Memorizing a Bible verse together
- Turning on worship music at home or in the car and dancing to praise
- Showing them what it looks like to love and be a blessing to someone else
- Practicing gratitude throughout the day
- Sharing stories of God’s goodness and faithfulness
- Reading a Bible story together
- Teaching them who they are in Christ (Who does God’s Word say that they are?)
- Praying together at bedtime
Which of these do you want to do with your kids? In what ways do you incorporate faith into each day with them?
A baby Rosemary before church one Sunday
