3 Things Parents Who Pass on Their Faith to Their Children Do
As a parent, your job is to guide your child as they grow into the person God wants them to be. This means, more than wanting your child’s happiness or their success in life, you should value their personal faith in and relationship with Jesus Christ.
There is no way to guarantee your child will grow up and be on fire for the Lord, but as Pastor Gaylyn Kelly said on episode 8 of the TalkItUp podcast “When Proverbs 22:6 says ‘train up a should in the way they should go,’ the way they should go is a question mark for parents to decide…I can’t make my children know God, but I can certainly introduce them.”
“I can’t make my children know God, but I can certainly introduce them.”
Gaylyn Kelly
The command to pass on the faith is echoed throughout the Bible. Notably, in Psalm 78, Asaph calls the people of God to not be a “stubborn and rebellious generation” but to be “loyal to God” and “tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done” so that they would know His commandments and “in turn would tell their children.”
These verses no doubt recalled Moses’ final speech to the people of Israel before they entered the Promised Land (for he was not allowed to enter with them)–a section of Scripture practitioners of Judaism call The Shema and use in their morning and evening prayers.
This passage, found in Deuteronomy 6, gives insight into practical things parents can do to pass on their faith.
1. Make God the Foundation of Your Life and the Heart of Your Home (Deut. 6:4)
Try this: ask your son or daughter what they think the top priority in your family is.
What do they say? Their response will tell you what they see, based on how you as a parent talk about and how you spend your time and money, what they perceive you think is most important.
Something is Lord over your home. If it’s not Jesus, then your priorities are out of alignment with the character and will of God. As we touched on earlier in this series, this will only lead to chaos and brokenness.
2. Love God with Everything (Deut. 6:5)
You can’t pass on a faith you don’t have.
If your family feels chaotic and broken right now, look inward. As the spiritual leader of the household, where is your heart? Your faith? Are you worshipping and serving the Lord only? Are you experiencing the peace that’s available through a relationship with Jesus Christ?
You can’t “fix” the next generation, you can only guide them as they make their own decisions. But you can’t guide them to follow Jesus if you’re not following Jesus first.
3. Weave Faith into the Fabric of Your Family Life (Deut. 6:6-9)
Don’t compartmentalize your faith.
The world would have us believe it’s fine for us to practice our faith privately. We can believe and do what the Bible says within the walls of our church buildings, but when we step outside, we must put it away so that it doesn’t affect others.
Except God’s Word commands us to do the opposite. Our faith is meant to impact others, especially our loved ones.
Think how your child’s answer to the question, “What is our family’s top priority?,” would change if you were to work faith activities into your family’s daily rhythms. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 gives some great suggestions for how to do this:
“These commandments that I give you today… Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up….Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
Mt. Bethel Church’s lead pastor, Jody Ray, put together this liturgy for families to use to take Holy Communion together as a tangible way to put the Lord first over their week. He suggests making this part of your family routine each Monday morning. By instilling and prioritizing practices like this within the walls of your home, you are building a faith foundation and reminding yourself and your family what is most important in living as Jesus would have them live.
This post is inspired by message four of our “God’s Design: The Family Code” sermon series entitled, “Mission Critical” by Dr. Jody Ray. You can dive deeper into what it looks like to lead your family well by using the study guide we’ve produced for this series. Submit your email here to receive a free eBook version to your inbox.