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The older I get, the more I realize how quickly time passes by. It seems like just yesterday when I was a kid, and now here I am raising five of my own. Each year that passes is one less year that I have to make an impact on my children, and I am continually reminded of the importance of making every day count. What can I do with the time I have TODAY to make an impact on the lives of my children for the kingdom of God?
The truth of the matter is, we all impact our children every day whether we intend to or not. With that in mind, it is of vital importance that we be INTENTIONAL about our impact. We cannot assume that our children will develop a relationship with Jesus Christ simply by being in our family. We need to take advantage of every opportunity that we have to point them in that direction, and we need to recognize that their relationship with Jesus is more important than their social status, financial security, and academic success.
How can we do this? What are some ways that we can intentionally pass on our faith to our children?
10 Ways to Pass Your Faith on to Your Kids
1. PRAY! PRAY! PRAY! Pray for your children every single day. Pray specifically for them and for the needs they have now and will have in the future.
2. Teach your children to make prayer an automatic reaction. Do you hear the sirens of a fire truck or ambulance? Stop and pray for the people involved! Is your child sad? Pray about the situation together before you do anything else! Help your children learn that prayer should be their first response!
3. Point out answers to prayer and spend time praising God together. When prayer becomes your automatic response, you will see amazing answers to prayer. Help your children recognize when God has answered prayer and then give Him the praise!
4. Listen to Christian music. Children learn through music. Make sure the music you are listening to teaches the values you want them to learn because they will be singing those songs for the rest of their lives!
5. Let them “catch” you spending time with God. Don't hide your Bible reading from your children. If you are not reading the Bible on your own, start doing that today. You can't expect to lead your children to Jesus if you aren't spending time with Him yourself.
6. Talk to your children about the tough issues – even if it makes you uncomfortable. Be honest and give them the information they need, saturated in a biblical viewpoint. Help them navigate the difficult parts of growing up through age-appropriate conversations that focus on biblical truths.
7. Take advantage of ordinary moments to point to Christ. Is there a rainbow in the sky? Remind your child of God's promises! Is it storming outside? Remind your child that God is with them in their storms or talk about the time Jesus calmed the storm! Teachable moments happen every day . . . don't let them pass you by!
8. Talk with your children about what God is doing in your own life. Have you experienced an answer to prayer? Let your children know about it! Is God working on an area of your life? Share that with your children and ask them to pray for you.
9. Read the Bible as a family. Set an achievable goal in this area and then work together to accomplish it. Make it a fun time together as you examine and apply the Scriptures as a family.
10. Teach your children to read the Bible on their own. While family Bible times are extremely important, it is even more important that your children learn how to read the Bible independently. Teach them how to read and apply Scripture, help them set their own Bible reading goals, and then hold them accountable in this area. For additional impact, ask them to hold you accountable in your Bible reading as well.
Remember, you are impacting your children every day, whether you intend to or not. Why not make it a goal to INTENTIONALLY impact them for Jesus Christ?
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Great article
Thank you!
I’ve worked with hundreds of children over the past 20 years. I’m not able to have my own so I find great joy in preparing lessons and spending time with other people’s children. I have seen first hand the impact I have on little ones, even if I only spend a few hours with them.
I’m so glad I found your site. It has given me a great resource to expand the Christian education program at my church. I am in charge of teaching the youngest of our children and there are so few resources for teaching kids under the age of 3.
I also wanted to share a personal experience with one of our toddlers. He’s 2. During our Maunday Thursday service yesterday (the foot-washing service) our priest and altar servers were stripping the altar. The little boy was upset because they were taking away Jesus’ stuff. You will never convince me that kids don’t understand what’s going on around them.
Your article hit the nail on the head when it comes to impacting our children. Everything we do and say makes a lasting impression on them. We must choose our activities, words, and actions carefully and set ourselves as examples of how we want our children to be when they grow up. We must also be able to admit when we make mistakes and apologize to our children when we do something wrong. This is not a sign of weakness; it’s a lesson in being able to ask for forgiveness and to forgive. I’ve said “I’m sorry” many times to children and get nothing but love and respect in return. This tells them that I’m human just like them and they can feel safe making mistakes in front of me.