Being a parent is an important job, and it's definitely one of the toughest. God has certainly blessed me with my two boys. I know that helping my children grow in godly wisdom is the best thing I can do for them, and training them is honoring the responsibility that God gifted me. We are told in Proverbs 22:6 to direct our children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. But directing, teaching, and training our kids takes time and patience. We have to be intentional. Here are five ways to help your child grow in godly wisdom and make a big impact on their relationship with Jesus.
1. Lead by Example
Kids learn a lot just by watching their parents. What are your actions teaching your kids? Do they see you reading your Bible? Do they hear your prayers? Is going to church a priority in your home? It's so important for us to show our kids how we are trying to grow in our faith. Talk to them about what God is teaching you and how you are growing in godly wisdom. Make time as a family to talk about faith. Share with each other where you have seen God working. If God has blessed you in some way, point it out to your kids, and give God all the credit. Set aside routine times to read your Bible and pray together. Make your relationship with God first in your life. Point all you can back to your faith. Lead by example. You are their biggest role model and have the most influence in your child's life. Make your faith a priority, show your kids how they can do the same, and they will grow in their faith, too.
2. Seize the Moment
As parents, we tend to get frustrated or move straight into discipline mode if there is an area where our children are not behaving the way we'd like them to. Discipline is necessary. However, if your child is acting out, it could be a sign that they might need to grow in that area of their life. Next time you find your child not behaving the way you expect them to, try to see their actions differently—as an opportunity to teach them something. Take some time to ask yourself, "What does my child need to learn from this?" Then go to the Bible and discover together what God has to say about the situation and pray about it. Talk about what they could do differently next time. Take advantage of their poor behavior and think of it as a chance to help your child grow. Seize the moment and learn to grow in godly wisdom together.
3. Don't Do it Alone
Being a parent is one of the hardest things I have ever done. Maybe you feel the same way. So, don't try to do it all alone. Surround yourself with other parents. Find people you can share your struggles with and people who can offer you wisdom. Do you have a group of people in your life who you meet with regularly? Do you help each other grow in godly wisdom? When you surround yourself with others who share in your faith and can relate to your struggles, you will help each other to grow and be better parents. It will also teach your kids that they don't have to do it alone either. They will learn that when they struggle, it is ok to reach out, to share, to ask for help, to ask questions, and to know that we do not have to try to go through life all alone.
4. Take It to the Next Level
We love that you bring your kids to church and check them into Kids Ministries. Our hope is that your kids are learning and growing from their teaching and group experiences each weekend they attend. For each lesson, we put together Family Connection Cards. We give these cards out as you leave their classroom, and they are also available on our website, along with many other resources. The cards will help your kids take what they are leaning on the weekend and dig deeper. We generally provide questions, guided Bible reading ideas, or activities that are related to the lesson and will spark a great family conversation to help your kids grow in godly wisdom. If you haven't yet, use these tools to take it to the next level at home. (You can access the Kid-O-Deo Family Connection Card HERE and the Elevate card HERE.)
5. Don't Be a Know-it-All
I think, as parents, we feel like we are supposed to know all the answers and act like we have it all figured out. But isn't faith believing without seeing or having all of the answers? Let your kids feel confident knowing that they can have faith without having it all figured out. In fact, if your kids are coming to you with tough questions about their relationship with Jesus and you do not have the answer, know that it's ok to admit that you don't know. What a great way to model true faith! Also, it might be fun for you to work on trying to find the answer together. Don't feel like you need to know it all; model for your kids what faith is all about believing without seeing or knowing it all.
Parenting is certainly one of the greatest challenges and the greatest rewards. We won't get it all right, but if we can take some small steps to help our kids grow in godly wisdom, we will make a big impact on their lives!
