5 Things Parents Do To Destroy Their Kids Faith!!
In the Book of Luke, we see children running to get in the presence of Jesus, but His disciples strongly warned them to keep their space and give Jesus some breathing room.
Check out what Jesus thought about this deal as it was going down…
Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” Luke 18:15-17
I believe this can also be taken as a strong warning to parents!! DON’T get in the way of your kiddos coming to Jesus!!
Here are 5 things that I believe parents do that keep their kids from coming to Jesus…
- HYPOCRISY: This morning on the way to school, Team Sprad, had a really interesting conversation regarding hypocrisy. This could also be named the “do as I say – not as I do” syndrome. Do you struggle with this? Do you erupt in anger and coach your kids to walk in patience? Do you yell at your kids or spouse and get on to your kiddos for disrespect. There are a million examples we could talk through, but I encourage you to try this ACTION POINT. Sit down with your kids, talk through hypocrisy and give your kids permission to point out mom and dad’s areas of hypocrisy. Yeah, this is a bit dangerous but it’s one way to get out of your kid’s way to experiencing the person of Jesus.
- WHAT YOU DO SCREAMS SO LOUD I CAN’T HEAR WHAT YOU SAY: You can continue to train, teach and preach to your kids…but do they see you up early in the Word of God, do they know that you have specific time set aside for prayer, during church worship do they see you distracted or engaging in intimate worship? Here is the point…I think parents should continue to train, teach and preach when it makes sense. However, I also believe that kids will emulate and follow their parents when they see their parents actually practicing what they preach. Parents, you can’t LEAD what your not living out.
- UNBELIEF: There was a time in my life when I was really wrestling with the concept of tithes and offerings, therefore I didn’t teach my kids to give to God what was His first. I think you get the idea. My question for you is… do you really believe? Do you really believe God is the healer, that God is present in pain, that God can be trusted in your leaps of faith, that God’s promises can be stood upon? Parents, if you struggle with unbelief you WILL be a hindrance in your kids coming to Jesus.
- THE SLIPPER SLOPE OF OSMOSIS: Many of you have heard this from me before, but I believe that most parents try to deposit Jesus in their kids life by osmosis. So many of us are so busy that we hope that our kids pick Jesus stuff up just by being around us. I do believe that osmosis is a great way to communicate Jesus to our kids, but we must also spend strategic time teaching and training our kids about Jesus. I received an email from someone this week that is reading Christian apologetics to their kids before school, doing a Beth Moore study with her daughter in the evening as well as memorizing scripture with her kids throughout the week. Parents…set aside some time this week and create a calendar, write in specific days and times that you will teach and train your kids about Jesus. I am sure you have heard the phrase… “fail to plan – plan to fail”. I believe this is also true when passing Jesus on to our kids.
- CHURCH: Seems simple, but I believe wholeheartedly in the power of and God’s mandate in the local church. I have several great friends that have not made church a priority in their kids lives. Now I don’t think kids should go to church for a check mark, but to experience the power of God and worship with their friends. I strongly believe that parents that do not make the discipline of attending church a priority for their family…the chances are greater that their kids will walk away from their faith in the future.
What are your thoughts? Is there anything that you are currently doing that serves as a hindrance to your kids coming to Jesus?
And thanks to my friend Jake Hothem for the inspiration for this post.
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Okay that’s awesome. You really hit the nail on the head. I see me and Matt in each of those during different seasons of parenting. And all of those things are true about the context of our marriages as well. As our kids get older, the example we set, prioritizing time in the word, prayer, church attendance, giving and serving are more important than any words we could ever speak about those things. They’ll straight up call you out!
I can be pretty strict / harsh with my kids. I know that I am the God-ordained authority in their lives, but often I make it about me, instead of Him. I need to do better with being gentle and patient and loving with them.
Oh some of those are so painful. My intentions are better than my actions end up being. One place I would caution is in children pointing out hypocrisy. My kids are welcome to talk to me about it but I’ve had trouble with my oldest becoming disrespectful as if she is the one who should point out my every error. I’ve talked to her about my mistakes and I own up to her but I remind her that the Holy Spirit and my husband are the only ones who have my permission and authority in my life to “call me on the carpet” and hold me accountable. I choose to confess my sins and mistakes as that happens. I don’t claim to be without sin. Parenting is so hard.