How to Influence Your Kids’ Faith
Influence rises and falls on relationship, especially when it comes to parenting. Whether you have a two-parent family, a single-parent family, a blended family, or are raising foster kids, parenting is difficult at every stage and in every type of family. In this blog, we will look at four principles from Matt’s sermon on Deuteronomy 6 that can help you influence your kids. It is important to note that these principles apply not only to parenting but also to anyone who wants to influence the next generation.
Know the Goal
When it comes to your goals for parenting, there may be many things that you want for your kid. You probably want them to have good friends, to make good decisions, to ultimately have a good job, and to be successful in everything they do. There is nothing wrong with those goals, but it is important to keep the main thing, the main thing.
As a parent, the ultimate goal is not only to have your kids know about God, but also to love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength, and to love others as themselves. Jesus taught that loving God and loving others are the two greatest commandments. Throughout all of time God has been revealing Himself to us and distinguishing Himself from the other gods and other things that we worship. We want your children to know, love, and follow the one true God, and to live a life that reflects that love towards others.
Live Out Your Faith
One key aspect of passing on our faith to our children is the need for you to have a growing faith yourself. You cannot expect to instill in them something that you do not possess. Therefore, it is essential for you to invest in your own spiritual growth and development, as well as in the relationship that you have with your children. At River Ridge we give you plenty of ways to take next steps in your journey with God. As your kids see you taking next steps, they will be encouraged to take their next steps as well.
It is important for you to model a vibrant faith, characterized by a deep love for God and for others, including your children. This love should be evident in the way you treat them, in your interactions with them, and in your daily lives. By demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, you can help your children to understand what it means to live a life of faith.
Another way to pass on your faith to your children is to create an environment that fosters spiritual growth and development. This can include regular family devotions, attending church together, participating in community outreach activities, and engaging in meaningful conversations about faith and life. By creating a culture of faith in your homes, you can provide your children with a strong foundation for their own spiritual journey.
Talk About Faith Frequently
The reality is that as much as the church would love to help your kids grow in their faith, we don’t have anywhere near the amount of time with them that you do. Our small groups leaders and staff members get around 40 hours with your kids every year. It is estimated that parents spend around 3,000 waking hours with their kids every year.
It is crucial that you leverage the time that you spend with your kids and intentionally add a faith element when appropriate . If you were intentional about your conversations with your kids when driving to school in the morning, sitting around the dinner table, or heading to their sports practice it would add so much to the spiritual development of your kids. While the church can't spend 3000 hours a year with your kids, we are committed to equipping you to leverage those 3000 hours so that you can disciple your kids!
Recognize the Cost
Intentional relational parenting requires sacrifices, but the cost of not influencing our kids and helping them grow in their faith is much greater. If you want to strengthen your relationships with your children and parent with intentionality, you may need to make some make some sacrifices. It may look like having to say no when they ask to hang out with a certain friend group, giving up some of your "me" time, having a difficult conversation about technology boundaries, or limiting their hobbies when their schedule is getting too busy. These sacrifices may make you unpopular with your child for a time, but they can pay off in eternal ways when your child decides to follow Jesus for themselves. Ultimately, the sacrifices are worth it.
Parenting is difficult at every stage and in every type of family. However, by following these four principles you can influence your kids and help them know and understand God completely and fully. The goal is to teach the next generation to love God with all their being. To achieve this goal, we must live out our faith, have intentional conversations about faith, and be willing to invest time and effort into building relationships with the kids in our lives.
To listen to Matt’s full sermon on influencing the next generation, click here!
