Building Faith in Our Children

"Oh, that [people's] hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!"-Deuteronomy 5.29

One huge difference between the Bible and our modern American culture is the approach parents should take in "indoctrinating" their children about God. I put "indoctrinating" in quotes because that's what we call it. God looked at it as just good parenting. If you teach your kids manners, to wash their hands after using the bathroom, to buckle up when they get in a car, or to do their homework, then why on earth would you not teach them to know and have a relationship with their creator and heavenly Father?

One of the seminars at Pepperdine was
Ten Keys to Building Faith in Your Children.

1: Baptism is only the beginning of spiritual transformation, not the end.
Ephesians 4.11-16, Philippians 3.14, 2 Peter 3.18, and other verses teach that we are supposed to grow spiritually as well as physically and emotionally.

2: As parents, we should focus on our own spiritual growth.
Considering the above, you cannot help your children walk with God throughout their lives if you are not doing it. To be a leader entails you are out in front.

3: Connect belief to behavior.
Truly living, moving, and having our being in God means we are "in church" 24/7. If your kids see you sing one thing at worship and do something differently at home, they'll have a hard time believing God makes a difference.

4: Find Christian mentors for your kids.
To develop a holistic faith, kids need "Pauls (mentors)", "Barnabases (Christian peers)", "Asiarchs (non-Christian positive peers)", and "Timothies (someone your kids can mentor)".

5: Children learn their place in the world through stories.
Stories shape identity. The Bible shapes people into believers through story. Make regular readings of the biblical story a top priority for your kids.

6: Kids need to learn simplicity and silence.
God listed a day of rest each week as one of the top ten commandments. Packing kid's schedules with endless activities and noise robs them of their ability to find solitude or to meditate.

7. Money should be a servant to our kids, not their master.
If money has the ability to make us spiritually useless or even become our god, then teaching kids the proper approach to it is especially important.

8. Talk openly with your kids about sex while they're young.
Your kids are going to hear about it anyway. It would be to their great benefit to hear it the right way.

9. Be involved, but don't hover and don't enable immoral or unhealthy behavior.
Let our kids know they are special to us and unique, but that the world does not revolve around them. God is first in our lives. Our mates are second. Kids must come after them.

10. Find a place where your kids will grow after high school.
Fifty percent of college freshmen brought up going to church attend church regularly. By their junior year, only 25% do. Make the decision about where to send your kids to college based on spiritual values, not economic or reputational ones.

~Shawn