Seeds of Faith: Teaching Children Love, Faith, and Integrity
Introduction:
Raising your children according to Christian values involves instilling them with love, faith, and moral integrity. A true believer must inculcate these values into his or her child, as this is one of God’s commandments for every Christian parent. There are various ways to instill these values in children. We will be discussing some of these methods in this blog.
Love Unconditionally:
Parents are referred to as demigods to be worshipped by their children, and rightly so. But to attain this position in your children’s lives, you must love them twice as much and display that love every single time. You can’t put the love of God in a child if the child does not feel loved by his or her parents. 14 Psalm 127:3 “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.” Show your children unconditional love, just as God loves them.
Be supportive and nurturing, and help them understand that they are loved by God and by you. The Bible tells us God loves every human unconditionally, so he forgives us regardless of how many times we sin against him. Therefore, parents also have to forgive children when they make mistakes. Chastise your children when they trespass, and equally give counsel to them, as this is also a way to show them parental love.
Pray Regularly:
3 John 1:4 “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”. “Truth” in this context means the Gospel of Christ, which should be the lifestyle of a Christian. Therefore, as Christians, we have to live the gospel, and the gospel includes prayer and meditating on the word of God. Make prayer a daily habit for your children. Pray as a family before meals, sleep, and family devotionals. Teach children how to pray and encourage them to pray for themselves. Praying is an important component of being a Christian, so teach it to your children and any child in your care.
Read the Bible together.
In the book of Deuteronomy, the bible says, “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children.”. The Bible text speaks of the importance of incorporating the words of God into children. This is one of the sacred duties of every parent. As a parent, you have to teach the words of God to your children and also teach them to imbibe them on their own.
The Bible is a guide for every human, and it offers counsel in every situation in life. Therefore, when children are taught the words and their meaning, it will help them greatly in life. Reading the Bible together as a family helps children understand God, Jesus, and Christian principles. Choose suitable stories and passages and talk about their meanings together.
Encourage compassion and service.
Teach your children the value of helping others and showing compassion. Teach them to never look down on anyone, no matter how elevated they are in life. Educate them on humility. Let them know that arrogance and pride are ill-values that will bring down a person. Let them take the words of Ephesians 4:32 to heart. Live by example and practice compassion as a parent so your children can learn from you. Participate in community service initiatives or mission trips as a family if you can.
Live by example:
Children are like little sponges, soaking up everything they see and experience, especially from their parents. As a Christian parent, you have been tasked with teaching your children the doctrine of Christ, and the best way to do this is by living it. However, there will be times when you make mistakes as a parent. It is important to teach your children to admit mistakes and learn from them. This will make them confident and willing to accept their errors and work on them.
Open communication:
Children tend to question many things, and the Bible can be very mysterious to a child. Therefore, you must be accessible to children; always be ready to listen to their concerns. Pay utmost attention to your child and be ready to educate them on any topic, be it religious or not.
Also read: Faith on Fire: Igniting Your Faith life
In essence, raising your children to be upright Christians requires you to live by example. Your children should see Christ in your actions. Also, you have to show discipline; you must not be found complicit in your children’s wrongdoings. Furthermore, you have to be a loving parent. Love your child with all your heart to teach them how to love others. The bible says in Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.”. The values you teach your children are what they will live by, and if they are taught well, they will give you peace in old age.
Content Credit/ Ajibola Emmanuel Adebayo
Picture Credit/ https://www.rawpixel.com/image/12562952/photo-image-plant-hand-person
https://www.biblica.com/articles/ways-to-encourage-your-child-to-engage-with-gods-word/
