I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children
live in the truth. 3 John 1:4
Isn’t that the desire of every parent?
That their children live in the truth?
As our kids grow up they are going to hear and see so much in this world
– from TV, friends, advertisements, teachers, music, etc. Much of that will NOT be the truth so it is
our duty to make sure they do hear the truth.
Statistics show that parents are the biggest influencers in their kids’
lives. Even though it doesn’t seem like
it, our kids really take to heart what we say and teach them. Although we should be diligent in teaching
them how to be good students, citizens, and friends, we should also be diligent
in teaching them the things of God. At
North Side we have our Parent Summit which helps parents do just that. This event reminds us all that our kids are
going to grow up and go through certain milestones in their lives and
encourages us to be their spiritual leaders through those times. Some things you will learn:
If you have a newborn, you can begin each day to pray for your child,
sing him songs about Jesus, and talk to him about how much God loves him. If you have preschoolers, you can begin to
pray with them and encourage them to talk to God, and you can begin to read the
Bible to them (even a preschool Bible story book) to expose them to the great
word of God. You can show them God in
everyday life (rainbows, family, how God made us unique, how God gives us food,
etc). If you have elementary age kids,
you can show them how to pray and spend time with God each day on their
own. You can learn how to answer their
questions about God, salvation, baptism, and other spiritual matters.
If you have adolescents, you can share with them that though it may be
confusing sometimes to know their identity, that they have a unique identity in
Christ – that He made them for a purpose.
You can help them through physical changes that will inevitably take
place and help them become comfortable with their bodies. Purity is always an issue with adolescents –
and they will certainly get their fair share of opinions on this matter from
the culture. It is imperative that kids
hear God’s truth on this matter.
Parents of adolescents can learn what the Bible says about purity,
dating and sex.
Eventually your child will become an adult. Don’t we want our adult children walking in
the truth as well? Parents can learn
what the Bible says a Man and Woman should be and help train their kids
accordingly. As much as we don’t want to
think about it, someday our kids will leave home and start lives of their
own. What a better way to prepare your
child for independence than to teach them apologetics (or reasons for what they
believe), how to trust God’s plan for their lives, tools for dating and
marriage, and basic life skills like time and money management.
While the church will be with you every step of the way on your
parenting journey, God has called you to be your child’s primary faith
trainer. Keep that in mind as you walk
with your child through life. Remember
that if you want your child to walk in the TRUTH, you should be the one to
teach it to them.
Join us this Saturday, February 23rd, for our next
Parent Summit. Don’t miss this amazing
opportunity to grow as a parent.
Submitted By Tamra Gutierrez
