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“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” – Deuteronomy 6:4-7
I often (as in daily) feel like other women do this mama-gig better than I do. I’ve seen their organized and beautifully decorated homes. They execute their Holiday plans with skill and grace. I’ve sat in awe at their ability to work a full-time job and reserve energy for good-night kisses. But rather than let comparison steal my joy and beat myself up for not being more like them, I’ve decided to concentrate on the most important thing, while doing my best to keep up with all the other things. But to do this, I have to know (and remember) what the most important thing is.
Jesus. He is the most important thing.
How do I introduce my children to Jesus? Can I invite Jesus into my home in a special way? How do I successfully share my faith with my children? By faith and love. Faith and love lead to faithfulness. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands.” (John 14:15 NIV)
This doesn’t mean we grudgingly carry the heavy burdens of religion, trying to obey every command so God will save our children. That’s legalism. And legalism kills the soul. It won’t bring life into your home, quite the opposite. Legalism kills everything it touches. When we obey out of legalism we are motivated by dread and fear of punishment, not faith and love.
Jesus came to set us free from the burden of the law, which we could not obey in our own strength, no matter how hard we tried. (…for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 2 Corinthians 3:6b NIV)
We have been given new life in Christ Jesus. Now we show God our love for Him and faith in Him by obeying his commandments, and our motivation is faith and love. This is much more effective than dread and fear of punishment.
“In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” (1 John 5:3-4 NIV)
Our assignment is to show our children that loving and serving Jesus is the best life they can live. Nothing is better. Our goal is to show them that God, through His commandments and promises, isn’t trying to take something from us, but is trying to give something to us, a life worth living.
As a mother, my heart burns for my children to know and love Christ. I want them to live a life of faith dedicated to His purposes. My heart’s desire is to pass on an active, living faith to my children.
I’ve found the most effective way to do this is to live out this kind of life before my children and to incorporate faith into the natural flow of our home as we do life together.
Deuteronomy 6:4 gives us a key to how this transfer of faith works. First, we must love God with all of our hearts. We must have a living, active faith ourselves. We must be seeking to obey God with all our hearts as adults. His commands must first be on our hearts. Then, and only then, can we impress them upon our children’s hearts. Living a real life of faith ourselves gives our words credibility and weight when we share them with our children. Otherwise, our words won’t penetrate our children’s hearts and minds. Our words are only as powerful as the integrity behind them.
When we are living a faithful life in Christ Jesus, we are able to share our faith with our children in a meaningful way. Our words have substance. When showing our children how to walk with God, we use the power of a living example along with our spoken words. Both are necessary. God communicates to us how He wants us to live through His Word. But He also sent Jesus to be a living example of what obedience looks like. Words are more powerful when they are illustrated by a living example.
Let it be our goal to make talking about God very natural in our homes. Let us tell our children what God has done for us and what He requires of us. But let it be unforced. Let talking to our children about God become a natural part of our lives. Bring God into your conversations throughout the day; when you get up, when you have meals together, when you are on the way to school or the park, at bedtime. He’s always with us. He’s always looking over and teaching us. It’s appropriate to acknowledge and honor Him throughout the day.
But won’t this feel forced or awkward? Won’t this get old? Only if our own faith is old. If our faith is full of life and being strengthened daily, it won’t feel forced but natural to share the One you love with the ones you love. Living the life you want your children to live is part of the beauty of the process. They are drawn to a life well-lived, full of faith, love, joy and hope. It’s our job to show them that kind of life is possible by being their first example of it, and to encourage them to aim for it.
That’s how we transfer faith to the next generation, naturally, carefully, lovingly, intentionally, everyday.
© Audrey McCracken, 2024
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