What role do you think a parent plays in the Christian education of their child?
Is it a primary one, a complementary one to the church’s,
or is it a passive one to avoid pressuring the child and allowing them to find
their own faith?
To be honest I once thought that the parents’ role was to
support what the church and religious education taught…early in my faith
however I was challenged upon this idea, because I soon found out that most Christians
in the church believed the opposite! It
even made me a bit nervous…I mean, who was I, a baby Christian to raise my child
in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6)?
A scripture that helped me to share my faith with my kids
however was this one:
‘Teach them to your children, talking about them when you
are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.’ Deuteronomy 11:19
It helped me to realise that passing on my faith, and the
Christian way to my kids could be done naturally day to day…not in a forced
way, but in a relaxed and lovingly real way!
An example of one such day out of many happened today…
My eldest son and I were sorting through a box of apples,
and my son was fascinated by this one…
I actually was too, because I had never seen such a small
under-formed apple! My son insisted that
we take a photo and to be honest I said no at first as I was quite tired…I had
been cleaning our house none stop for I don’t know how long! But the Holy Spirit prompted me to discuss
the passage of scripture where Jesus taught that He is the True Vine which we
must stay attached to so that we can continue to grow in Him!
I simply asked my son why he thought the apple had not
continued growing and our conversation went on from there…it was wonderful to
see his eyes alight, and him grasping the concept of what Jesus taught us!
You see it doesn’t have to be long laborious bible study
sessions with your kids. Make your faith
an everyday part of your life and pass it onto your kids in a real, loving
way! Don’t be overwhelmed…just focus
primarily upon your relationship with Jesus and He will guide and prompt you…just
be ready to SEIZE the moments when they occur!
Still scared to discuss scripture with your kids in case
you get something wrong…don’t panic…just take baby steps…read Bible stories
together and tell them about your own
personal relevant experiences with God!
Current studies on today’s generation of children suggest that our children
respond best to personal stories rather than facts. Once again, just relax, because you can trust
that it is God’s will for you to pass on your faith to your children!
Single parent and feel overwhelmed? Again trust in God’s Word that says He cares for
the orphans, and think of Timothy who had the faith passed onto him from his Mum
and Grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5)! These
two women made an eternal difference…so don’t give up, be active and pass on the
faith to your kids every day in love!
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