Raising Godly Children: Instilling Faith Values in Your Family
As a Christian stay-at-home mom, I deeply understand the challenges that come with raising children in today’s world and striving to keep before them the importance of instilling family faith values daily. My primary focus as a mother and wife is to actively live out my faith and impart essential faith values to our children, alongside my husband. Parenting poses immense pressures, particularly for Christian families. From managing incessant temper tantrums to navigating constant willpower struggles, instilling faith values in our family can often feel like an uphill battle. However, as Christian parents, we possess a powerful tool to guide us through the chaos – God’s Word.
When faced with tantrums or defiance from my children, I frequently seek guidance from the Bible. One verse that resonates with me during these challenging moments is Proverbs 22:6, which emphasizes the importance of training children in the ways of faith. This verse serves as a reminder that the effort put into instilling faith values in our children will yield long-term benefits. Sometimes, the key lies in our response – offering our undivided attention and a gentle (or sometimes firm) approach during these trying times is crucial. I’ve personally experienced the transformational power of tonality over raising my voice.
Navigating the various stages of parenting, including discipline, fostering independence, and handling defiance, can be mentally and emotionally draining. This journey can be overwhelming at times. Hence, it is imperative for us as Christian parents to lean on our faith and trust in God’s plan for our family. Acknowledging our imperfections and recognizing our need for Jesus as much as our little ones do is essential. Despite the challenges, we find peace in the fact that God never abandons us in our journey.
During moments when our children test my patience and boundaries, I reflect on Ephesians 6:4, which advises to not provoke your children to anger and emphasizes raising them with the guidance of the Lord. This verse serves as a gentle nudge to parent with love and grace, even amidst challenging situations. I acknowledge my own shortcomings and strive to model accountability and learning from mistakes for my children’s benefit. With our three boys who right now are all 5 and under, I desire to spend time understanding their unique personalities and needs. This is crucial in our parenting approach because then we have more clarity and direction on how to reach them and affectively train them up. What I have discovered through their individuality they all desire something common , wanting our attention, love, and protection for them.
Ultimately, raising godly children transcends mere rule enforcement and setting boundaries. It entails instilling a deep faith values and enduring faith in our children that will serve as a lifelong compass. As Christian parents, we hold the privilege and responsibility of setting an example and demonstrating what it means to lead a life anchored in faith.
So, how do we do all of this well? Here are some ways you can naturally begin teaching your young children about family faith values and standing on what God has set before you to live out daily:
1. Prioritize Prayer: We pray morning, during the day, and night, and we show our kids the importance of praying during hard times and good times. My husband and I involve them in our prayer sessions, keeping it light as they learn about who Jesus and God are. It has been amazing to hear them repeat after us or ask if they can pray. One time, we were eating lunch and started eating without praying, and our oldest said, “Mama! We didn’t pray! Lol.” Oops, you’re right, son, and we prayed.
2. Normalize talking about Jesus and Faith: I love to naturally quote scripture in our conversations. For example, when our son gets scared of the dark, I remind him of how God loves him and protects us, saying, “God didn’t give you the spirit of fear but of love, power, and a sound mind.” Affirming him with this truth helped him overcome his fears.
3. Read the Bible and fun biblical books:
We have many books about God, Jesus, that are just right for them at their age comprehension. Meeting them where they are and making it fun helps them engage with the stories and lessons. Reading together is not only educational but also a bonding experience. These books we absolutely love and highly recommend getting them all when you can. Our boys personally can relate to them and they are fully engaged in the story lines! Here is some of our favorites for this collection, mind you we ordered 11 total from “Good News Meditation” and getting more. They have some on Amazon : Book #1 , Book # 2 , Book #3 , Book #4 , book #5 !
4. Monitor screen time: We watch positive, engaging shows like Veggie Tales, Story Book and other educational programs that align with our values. What we expose our children to matters, and we ensure they are learning positive messages through media. We found this reasonable streaming app called Yippee (not sponsored) they have alot of kids learning shows but what we like the most is it has biblical shows created just for kids to help entertain them and keep them learning about Jesus and life skills!
5. Fun Activities & Crafts: Do fun things that will keep them entertained for hours and teach them about Jesus. The main thing is doing fun positive things that gets them thinking and learning ! Here are some fun ideas i found on Pinterest fun idea crafts and activities for kids ! You can create your own and even modify per child if there is an age gap but come up with fun Sunday School crafts you can do during the week with your kids. I just found this and I’m going to be showcasing our arts n craft days on my Instagram.!
6. Music matters: We love Christian Hip-hop and worship music, creating a wholesome environment for our children. Music can have a powerful impact on shaping their hearts and minds. We often have worship music playing in the background when there is no screen time, and our kids love to dance and sing along. It’s a beautiful way to fill our home with uplifting and faith-filled melodies. Bonus:*Not Sponsored* But, If you have Spotify , you can have them listen to this cute Veggie Tales Podcast . It is so good for them to explore their imagination and learn life lessons from a biblical point of view. We play it on our smart speaker, phone or its perfect on a road trip!
7. Implement appropriate discipline: Discipline is essential in parenting, but it should be done with love and understanding. Each child is unique, and what works for one may not work for another. We strive to discipline our children with a balance of firmness and grace, reflecting the love and authority of God in our approach. This area is crucial and also can be difficult. Often times parents can struggle in this area with yelling, or overly hitting and just not having a balance. But I think this is one of the areas that are most important to instill value and show Christ’s love even in the hard moments.
As Christian parents, we must remember that our role is to guide and nurture our children in their faith journey. It’s a journey filled with ups and downs, challenges, and triumphs. But through it all, we can trust in God’s plan for our families and lean on His wisdom and strength to navigate the complexities of parenting.
So, with all that said! To all the fellow stay-at-home mamas there is always a way to keep Jesus centered in all we do as a family to stay connected to our faith values and thrive daily! Continue to stand strong in your faith, trusting in God’s guidance as you raise your children to know and love Him. Remember, you are not alone in this journey, and God is with you every step of the way, providing the grace, wisdom, and patience you need to navigate the beautiful but challenging path of parenting.
Stay steadfast and keep your eyes fixed on Him, for He is the ultimate source of strength and guidance in this incredible journey of raising godly children.
