How Important is God in My Child’s Life?
Something that we begin every homeschool day in our is devotions. After I grab my cup of coffee and fill my kids' bellies with some breakfast, we sit down at our school table and go through a devotional we are working through. (There are links at the bottom of this page of devotionals that I highly recommend). Proverbs 22:6 (esv) says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it”. There is no better way to do that than using God’s word. I cherish this time with my kids so much, because it not only is a time that we are spending together, but it is a time for my kids to deepen and strengthen their relationship with the Lord.
As I was thinking about how important this time is, it got me thinking about how important it is to teach our children about their creator. I thought about how, more and more, God has been and is being taken out of society, and the results are disheartening. A little while back, I was talking to an older gentleman at my church about this topic. He went on to tell me that he remembers the exact day they took the bible out of schools. He explained to me that his teacher told them “This is the last day I can read from the bible, so we are going to read it for the entire day”. The following day it was not allowed. What a powerful testimony! The more God has been removed from schools and society the worse it has become!
Let us look at some benefits of going to church and having a relationship with God has on you and your children.
First and foremost, having a true relationship with God means you will spend eternity in heaven with our Lord and Savior. Well, what does it mean to have a true relationship with God? Romans 5:8 (esv) says, “But, God showed his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. We are all born with a sinful nature, and because of that, we are separated from our loving God. There is a debt that we cannot pay, but God loves us so much and desires a relationship with us. To pay that debt, he sent his son Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life, to die on the cross for us. Now, he did not stay dead. Jesus defeated death and rose three days later. Romans 6:23 (esv) says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. When We believe in Jesus and put our faith in him and what he did on the cross, we will have eternal life with him in heaven. That by far, is the number benefit of having a relationship with Him, because, on the contrary, it is eternal life in hell.
If you are reading this today and unsure of your eternal destination, I implore you to seek out Jesus.
Another benefit is, that families who attend church and have a relationship with God, have lower divorce rates. This then leads to a safer and more stable family life for children because they are not experiencing the destruction and pain that a divorce can have on a family.
Thirdly, mental health struggles and depression are much lower in these children and adults. Let’s face it, this world is becoming increasingly worse and hopeless, but no matter how bad things may get in this life, I know my hope rests completely in Christ Jesus because He will make things right again. Those who do not have a relationship with Christ do not have that same hope.
Families who go to church and have a relationship with God are also statistically happier, healthier, and have better morals, and virtues.
Now, all of this to say, teaching your children about God is incredibly beneficial. In fact, It is crucial. As we see in the world today, the more God is taken out, the worse the world gets. If we are not instilling God’s promises in our children, and teaching them what is right and wrong, then the world will teach them and what the world teaches is far from the truth.
Whether you believe it or not, Satan and Hell are very real, and he is after our children. He is doing a pretty darn good job too. As I have said earlier, God has been removed from schools. Sinful and evil ideologies are being taught. These same ideologies are bleeding into music and movies, and if you are not prescreening what your children are taking in, I highly recommend you start doing it (see my blog titled: What Content Are Your Children Taking In?).
To sum this all up, God will have an incredible impact on your life and the lives of your children. I praise the Lord that both of my children have accepted Christ as their savior. He has, not only had a wonderful impact on my children, but my husband and I as well. Our children need Jesus every day and we as parents need to step up and saturate them with God’s word. It is never too late, never. The best thing you can do as a parent is, as the Bible says, “train up a child in the way he should go”, and that way is Jesus.
Devotionals for kids:
-God Always Keeps His Promises, by Max Lucado