What is the most important thing you need to do as a Christian parent?
Is it -
- To raise a smart child?
- To be sure your child has friends?
- To help your child become accomplished at sports, or academics, or some other ability?
- To be sure they get to their band, soccer, and dance lessons on time?
- To teach them self-control and personal discipline?
- To prepare them to be successful in life?
While these may be important and have their place, they are not the most important thing
What is the most important thing you need to do as a Christian parent?
It is -
- To pass your faith along to your child and help them find an authentic relationship with God!
Why is this the most important thing?
Because -
- No other skill or ability affect their life as much as having a person relationship to God!
- To know God through Jesus Christ has eternal consequences!
- If they have a true and authentic relationship with God, it will give them the resources, spiritual, emotional, and relational, to be successful in every area of life!
Won't this happen naturally because I am a sincere Christian parent?
Sadly, the answer is, "No!"
Sincere Christian parents often fail to pass their faith along to their children. This is why so many children of Christian parents fail to connect with the church when they become adults. The Christian faith did not find a place in their hearts, even though they were raised in good Christian homes and brought up in the church. You know examples of this in your own experience! Children brought up in the church, do not seem to have a real and authentic faith, as adults. Why is this?
The answer is that the parents, though well-meaning and sincere, did not help the faith take root in their child's heart!
Why is this?
- Often Christian parents are nervous about talking to their children about spiritual matters. They simply don't know how to do it!
- Christian parents often believe it is the job of the church to train their children in the faith.
- Parents today do not have good role models for teaching their children about the faith, because their parents did not teach them effectively.
- Christian parents hope it will all work out for their children in terms of their faith.
But -
It often does not work out! Children can go to church, participate in Vacation Bible School, and come from good families, yet still end up without a vital and authentic faith! This is a great tragedy! This is a terrible outcome for Christian parents and their children. The faith that is so important and central to success and to the Christian parent's life, did not impact the life of their child. The Christian parent failed at their most important job as a parent!
Let me repeat! If you do not successfully pass your faith along to your child, you will have failed at your most important job as a Christian parent!
What can be done?