One of my greatest desires
for my children was for them to make a decision to follow Christ, to know him personally. I wanted them to experience a full and “alive” life...one
that involved an ongoing desire to please God. I also wanted to know that they would spend eternity with God. The motivation that leads a child (or adult) to this
decision is having a heart for God, to want what God wants for our life. Our heart is all about our deepest
desires. As a mom, how can I motivate my child’s desires, and help them enter
into a personal relationship with Jesus?
How can I affect their heart to please God? Here are a few ways:
1) Read the Bible to your children. In the New Testament, we discover that Timothy learned the
scriptures as a child from his mother and grandmother (II Tim 1:5 & 3:15),
and that the scriptures gave him wisdom which led to his salvation. As you read people’s stories in the
Bible, point out God’s character, who He is, and how he interacted with these
individuals. Encourage them to ask questions (although, this may come naturally!)
2) Model a heart for God.
Let them see you read God’s word, pray to Him, and serve others. Also, let them know you make mistakes and sin, but that you ask God for forgiveness. When you do something that hurts your child, ask their forgiveness.
And then love on them.
3) Pray with them. Teach
them to pray by letting them repeat after you in prayer (when they're young), and later to pray on their own. Encourage them to
pray aloud. Point out when God
answers their prayer! (finding a lost toy, etc.)
4) Foster an environment where they are comfortable and inspired to
ask questions about God (through music, stories, movies, etc) Grab those teachable moments--even when you don't think you have time (or patience) for them! Let them know their questions are good! We may not have answers, but
that’s a good time to teach faith and trust in God’s sovereignty.
We can’t make our child choose
to follow God, but we can strongly influence them with our lives and prayers to
have a heart for him and enter into a personal relationship with him. Remember--children imitate what they see,
“Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from
it flow the springs of life.”
Proverbs 4:23
“I have
no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.” III John 4
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