Discipling our Children

My oldest is 5 years old, and he is showing me how small, intentional habits can set him on a path to follow Christ. I come from a Christian home where morning prayers and devotions were the norm. I recall being nervous to recite memory verses correctly and frequently rolling over as my mom came around threatening to splash water on our heads if we stayed in bed a second longer. While those are now fond memories, my focus is to disciple my children, make it a routine to meet with God, and for them to organically witness my faith.

Discipling > Disciplining

My oldest helps and corrects his little sister (heavy on the correcting these days), and we frequently remind him that he is not her parent. When disciplining my oldest, I have shared from my heart in hopes of giving him a better understanding of what it means to be a parent. As parents, we have authority over our children as we submit ourselves under the authority of God. We discipline and correct while seeking guidance from the Great Counselor to keep the focus on living for God.

Routines that stick

Every night our children have at least 1 book, frequently 2 or 3, read to them. This is an easy way to get our devotions in, and it is never too early to build the habit. It’s actually easier if you begin the routine by reading daily devotions to your child from infancy. My son chooses his favorite books of the week, which frequently includes a Bible story from The Beginner’s Bible, and I usually add in a devotion from Our Daily Bread for Kids to end bedtime routines before we pray. While you want to make a routine of discussing Christ in your home, try not to box it in to a certain day or time of day. Children will hold you to your routines, so we also sprinkle in chats about foundational concepts throughout the day as simple connections come up. Church may be an individual day of the week, but experiencing and living for Christ is a daily occurrence.

Walk it like you talk it

My children see me worshipping, praying in the Spirit, reading my Bible, treating others including them with respect, etc. When my children worship with me it is such a precious time (we have experienced this a lot more with the COVID-19 pandemic), but it is even more special when I hear them praising God on their own. Model the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). This also looks like me telling them when I have made a mistake or was wrong and asking for forgiveness.

“I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:6 NLT

Salvation is God’s revelation. We cannot gift our children salvation, but we can faithfully plant while working out our own salvation “with fear and trembling” as my mom always says. I have shared a 31-day Praying for Our Children prayer guide that a friend shared with me in 2015 when we had our first babies. The link for download is below.

Resources

Faith-based books do not need to be kept for a separate devotional time. Buy many and make them available throughout the day. I am sharing the books we own and have purchased for friends because we learn so much from them. Please share your favorites in the comments. I am always looking to buy more sound books that teach our children biblical truths.

Also know that as you read, many questions will come up. I’ve learned to keep my explanation simple and to be transparent when I do not know the answer. Often I know it is nothing but the Holy Spirit answering some of the questions that come up. Last, your church likely has multiple resources. If not, there are plenty avaible online. We enjoy the corny but sound Bible Adventure by LifeKids on YouTube. Superbook is too graphic for my littles currently.