Dear Parents
If you expect your child to automatically develop a relationship with Jesus because of
taking them to church, Sunday School, and the church youth group, you will very likely
find that this does not occur.
One of my earliest memories is when I was three years old, very sickly with bronchitis. I
was so weak that I was lying on the lounge room floor, half under a low table, while I
cuddled a plastic doll. But I was looking at the ceiling and talking to Jesus, my ever
present Friend. In some of my childhood years, I spent almost half the year sick in bed.
But I was not alone - Jesus was with me. My mother constantly encouraged me to tell Him my
burdens and troubles, and He always comforted me. I came to know Him very well during
these years, and my relationship with Him became the foundation upon which my life was
built. When I reached teenage years, I did not go through a period of rebelliousness. In
fact, my walk with Christ strengthened through those years.
The Bible gives us the key to raising our children in Proverbs 22:6 'Train a child in the
way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.'
How do you go about this?
Introduce Your Child to Jesus by
If you want your child to meet another student, how would you seek to achieve this? Would
you send them to the same school and hope that they meet? No, of course not. The first
thing you would do is to tell your child about this student, about their good points and
strengths, so that your child wants to meet them. Then you would introduce your child to
this particular student. And once they have been introduced to each other, they can begin
to build a relationship.
This is the secret for raising a child in the way of the Lord - parents need to introduce
their child to Jesus. There are a number of factors involved in this process.
wearing your faith on your sleeve
The first is that parents need to wear their Christian faith on their sleeve. Let your
child see your relationship with Jesus. Pray to Him in an intimate manner that shows how
much you love Him and how much you appreciate His love for you. As soon as your child is
interested in learning to speak by copying you, lead him or her in copy-prayers to Jesus.
And again, not mechanical prayers, but pray from your heart. Show your child your heart
and zeal for God. Then as your child grows older, take turns. You pray one sentence, then
they pray. A good format for praying with your child is first to tell Jesus how much you
love Him, then to thank Him for various blessings He has given you as well as for specific
blessings received on that day. Next, pray for each member of the family, for friends, and
for those in trouble. Tell your child that Jesus waits for them to come to Him in prayer,
and delights in them when they come. Matthew 26:15 'From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise.'
praying with your child wherever you are
Pray with your child when driving to school or church. Pray before meals and at bedtime.
And whenever your child brings a problem to you, such as something that is weighing
heavily on their mind, or trouble with children at school, do not just offer advice. Sit
down with your child and pray together about the problem, inviting Jesus to help them
through it, to cope with it, and to help deal with the problem itself. John 14:12-14 (NIV)
"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He
will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do
whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me
for anything in my name, and I will do it."
admitting when you make a mistake
Another important part of wearing your Christian faith on your sleeve is to admit to your
child when you make a mistake.
I was driving my car the other day when another driver very dangerously cut in front of
me, causing me to break hard to avoid a collision. In anger I snapped, "Stupid
driver!" I immediately knew I had stepped out of line. Both my children were watching
me, and they both remembered me telling them not to call other people stupid. So,
convicted by the Holy Spirit, I said, "Sorry kids, I should not have said that. I was
impatient, and I should have said, 'That driver was in a rush and drove unwisely.' "
After that, I prayed out loud, "Dear Lord, sorry for losing my temper. Please help me
to be patient with other people, as You are patient with me."
You should also apologise to a child if you feel you were too hard on them; perhaps they
asked you an innocent question and because you were exhausted, you snapped at them in
response. Forget your pride - your child will respect you more if you apologise to them,
not less.
Teach Your Child about Jesus by
The next important aspect of introducing a child to Jesus is in the manner that you teach
him or her about Him. You must recognise that it is your responsibility as a parent to
teach your child about Jesus and the Kingdom of God. Do not entrust this task to a church,
Sunday School, or Christian School. These institutions are of course important, but how
can you monitor what subject matter they are covering? The only way to ensure that your
child is being taught the full gospel and the full spectrum of Biblical principles is to
do it yourself.
reading them the Bible
As soon as your children are able to understand basic sentences, which is most likely when
they are two years of age, it is time to read a children's Bible to them every night at
bedtime. Start with a simple children's Bible with lots of pictures, and as they children
grow older, progress to children's Bibles with more and more content, until finally move
onto the actual Bible, probably around the ages ten to twelve.
helping them to memorise Scriptures
Please note that it is also important to teach them to memorise Bible verses from a young
age. Children of all ages are very proficient at memorising verses, and the Word of God is
real food for their spirits.
pointing out what a Bible story teaches
When you read a Bible story to your children, do not merely read the story. Ask Jesus to
show you what point He is teaching us through the story. Then as you read the story to
your children, weave this point into the story. Make sure your children understand why God
allows things to happen, why God does what He does, and especially point out the mistakes
Bible characters make, and how they can be avoided.
Teach your children through these Bible stories all the concepts of the Bible. Why man
sinned, why Jesus came to the world, and what He accomplished on the cross. Never simply
present Bible stories to your children; tell them why it is saying what it says.
Example: Noah's Ark
When you read about Noah and his family locked up in the Ark for days and days before land
was found, explain how often our lives have dark patches with no visible help in sight.
But like Noah, we can trust in Jesus. He is holding our lives in His hands, just as he was
holding Noah's boat in His hands. And just as finally Noah found land, Jesus will lead us
through the dark and difficult times in our lives too.
Example: Abraham and Isaac
Consider the story in which Abraham was about to kill Isaac before God sent them a ram to
sacrifice in Isaac's place. Explain how Isaac represents each one of us, deserving to die
for our sin. But God sent a special ram to die in our place. And His name is Jesus.
Eample: the Israelites in the Desert
If reading the story of the Israelites in the desert when they ran out of water. Explain
that after having just seen so many miracles in Egypt, as well as the parting of the Red
Sea, the people should have praised God for His faithfulness, and asked for His help. Had
they done so, God would have been pleased by their faith and in His perfect timing, He
would have provided for them. Then read what actually happened. The people grumbled and
complained. They looked at their suffering instead of at God's faithfulness. This resulted
in God keeping them in the wilderness, a place of suffering, until they learnt to trust
Him instead of complaining.
Further Your Own Education if you need to
If, as a parent, you feel that you do not have enough Bible knowledge to recognise what
God is teaching through each story, I cannot recommend strongly enough that you do a one
or two year Bible College correspondence course. This will not only enhance your own
Christian walk, and improve all areas of your own life, but it will give you the knowledge
you need to train your children. The Bible says in Hosea 4:6, "My people are
destroyed from lack of knowledge." Sad, but true.
Explain the 'why' to your children
Do not simply tell your child what to do. Explain why they should do what you are telling
them to do. Do not say to your toddler; "Don't touch that heater." But say,
"Don't touch that heater. If you do, you will get burnt, and it will hurt very
much." Perhaps do a little roleplay with them, showing what the pain would be like if
they touched the heater.
Do the same with all Biblical instruction. Don't just tell your children not to lie, but
explain to them why not to lie. Tell them what bad things happen in their hearts when they
lie, that God is sad when lie, and that relationships are damaged by lies because trust is
broken.
Prepare for the Teenage Years Now
Do not wait until your children reach their teenage years to explain teenage concepts to
them. Prepare them for this time well in advance. Teach them to respond to aggression with
kindness and love. Teach them about peer pressure, why to avoid cigarettes, alcohol and
drugs, about why they must date and marry only a strong Christian. Then when they reach
their teenage years, the strong Biblical foundation built in their lives by the Lord
during their childhood will see them through it without experiencing any rebellion or
backsliding.
Jesus Will Reveal Himself to Your Children
As you introduce your children to Jesus, He will reveal Himself to them, even while they
are infants. John 14:21 NIV "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one
who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show
myself to him." My parents did this for me, and I have done this with my children.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Peter Stone has an international marriage, two children, and a cute, insane cat. He
came to know Jesus closely through a sickly childhood. Currently suffers from epilepsy and
otosclerosis but praises God through it. A Bible College Graduate, he teaches Sunday
school and plays the piano in church.
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