"Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it"
This little verse from the book of Proverbs (22:6) has been running around in my mind over the past few days and I'll explain why in this post....
My wife and I are always looking at ways to make our kids fall in love with Christ. Sure, they are young right now and may not 'get' the message, but I don't think kids are ever too young to learn about true Godly love and the power of faith.
And I want to do everything I can, along with the Holy Spirit, to help guide them into truth and a relationship with the Lord. Because I don't know if you have heard the news...
The church isn't 'cool' these days.
Attendance is low. The younger generation seems to be disconnected. When it seems like God is needed more than ever in all our lives. Why is that?
I started asking myself, how can we as the body of Christ, make 'church', the bible, faith....More attractive for our kids? And it comes down to what the kids seem to be interested in, which I believe comes back to us as parents...
Let me explain.
I have a really good friend of mine who has 3 boys, just like me. Ever since they were young, he's been showing them the sport of soccer. He lives, breathes and dies it. And for as long as I can remember, the kids have followed suit.
I think it comes down to exactly what that verse in Proverbs mentions about training up children. You see, your kids and kids in general, love to take an interest in what their parents have an interest in. For my friend, it was soccer. And because of that, his kids absolutely love the game. They play it, they follow it, they are surrounded by it all the time. Just like dad...
So for me, and any other parent that may be scratching their heads on how to get their kids really engaged in church and the bible....How much do your kids see you...
Reading the bible...
Praying...
Taking part in the church community...
Evangelizing...
Practicing what you preach...
Talking about Jesus...
Maybe, we should take the wise words of Solomon to heart here and literally...Train up your child! So they do NOT depart from it! They will generate an interest in what YOU are interested in.
If you don't want them to be in the world...Stop paying attention to worldly things.
Seek ye' first the kingdom of God!
In absolutely everything you do, and your kids will naturally follow your lead. I'm always amazed when my kid comes up to me and ask's me...What am I doing? I have his undivided attention right then and there, what a perfect time to talk to him about God.
Maybe that's why church attendance is down, and it is not a 'cool' place to be anymore...Maybe we as parents have done an awful job of...Living like Christ ourselves and showing the amazing things that come from the Word of God.