the Good News about Christ." Romans 10:17 [The Living
Bible] The Holy Spirit needs to do the work of building faith in our children's
hearts but we can help set the conditions for faith to grow.
As parents we try
to do this in several different ways. We take our kids to church and hope they
will be pumped full of the Gospel. We might sit down with them at a certain time
each day and make them listen to a Bible reading and have a time of prayer with
them. We send them to Bible camp. We hope and pray that they absorb faith.
But we need to do more. We need to teach them ourselves also and not leave it
all up to the spiritual institutions.
So how do we build faith in our kids?
Deuteronomy 6:4 tells us how:
"O Israel, listen: Jehovah is our God, Jehovah alone.
"You must love him with all your heart, soul, and might.
"And you must think constantly about these commandments I am giving you
today.
"You must teach them to your children and talk about them when you are at
home or out for a walk; at bedtime and the first thing in the morning.
"Tie them on your finger, wear them on your forehead, and write them on the
doorposts of your house."
We instill faith in our kids by making it part of their everyday lives.
Mostly they will learn faith by watching our faith in action.
Our consistent faith and obedience to God is a bridge to instill the same
elements in our children. We need to live faith in front them so they can see
what it looks like and let them be a part of our experiences so they can absorb
it.
As parents we know our kids better than anyone else does. We know their
strengths and weaknesses, just as they know ours. We don't have to worry about
hiding our mistakes and failures from them. As they see our failures and our
inconsistencies, our children know God will be there for them in their failures
too.
I think of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the three patriarchs. They each
experienced many failures, but God still included them in His plan for Israel
and our redemption.
We often try to protect our children from our problems. I think it is
important to let them walk through our problems with us. When you're laid off
because the company you work for is downsizing or you've just moved and need a
job, include your children in praying for the right position.
When you're traveling with your family and your flight is delayed and you're
worried about making the next connection, take time to pray with your kids. Then
when God works it out, your kids will learn to trust Him more.
You teach your children to handle money. You teach them people skills and
life skills. You also need to teach them to have faith. You can give them
answers. The best and basic examples come from the characters in the Bible. But
there will also be many faithful people you know that you can point them
towards. There are also books and DVD's you can use as resources.
When our children were young we tried to host
missionaries in our home when they visited our church. We were always amazed at
the stories our missionaries told us of how God worked in the hearts of the
people they ministered to. Encourage your kids to be in touch with missionaries
and their kids via the Internet. They will learn about sharing Jesus with the
people in their lives too. They will have a continuous dose of faith filled
action so they too will pray about their situations and look to God for
direction.
I have also found these two books about passing on our
faith helpful:
Raising Faithful
Kids in a Fast-Paced World by Dr. Paul Faulkner
Teaching Your
Children Values by Richard Eyre and Linda Eyre
Blessings,
Ruth
