Part 5: Raising Well-rounded Christlike Children

This is the concluding part of this series and if you haven’t read the previous part, find it here.

TEACH/PREACH THE WORD AND NOT DENOMINATIONAL DOCTRINES/TRADITIONS.

Do you know that as much as children are quick to learn, they can also be easily brainwashed? Doubt me? Ask the child soldiers or the children suicide bombers.

“David was always asked why he looked at his friends as though they were bad people and the girls in his class as though they were a bunch of bad? He never answered so convincingly. Two of his friends decided to ask him again and this time, they challenged him so hard that all he kept saying was, “in my church this and this …” While his friends watched on as he argued with no single verse to back up his stance, they all gave up and walked away leaving him as he continued saying, “in my church…”

When David later realized he was alone, he felt he had won and scared away his “persecutors.” But just a few distance from him were two young siblings who defended the word of God like pros when asked by their friends why they believed what they believed. David looked on as they kept sharing scriptures and explaining it. What struck him was when one was confronted with a hard question, he said, give me till tomorrow, let me study my bible. He was shocked and knew right there that he was nothing like those two despite he looked more holier than them.”

While the story above is a fiction. It is exactly what we see around us in adults.

I have taken it upon myself to do the extra work of ensuring my children are Christ followers and not Church fans. Parents, this is where your work goes from level 5 to level 10. This is what you do not leave to their teachers at church to do for you. I have friends that till tomorrow see me as less of a Christian when I challenge or question traditions that has no scriptural basis or even backing. I have friends who all they know about God is just like David knew – “in my church…”

When Children don’t have the roots of the word of God buried deep into them, it’s easy to end up creating young fanatics and extremists when the church falls short in its traditions or chooses to make genuine changes.

Fathers and Mothers, when you teach your children about the Lord, remember that you and that child are the church. Don’t teach them denominational traditions in place of the truths within the Bible. Also, let the Holy Spirit do His work of convicting and convincing. Not everyone get convicted immediately. Give it time and give them time.

What the world needs is children like Timothy, Joseph, Esther, the Hebrew Children who genuinely knew God and understood his dealings which controlled their lives. This was seen in their character outside of their known environment.

The Bible says in Proverbs22:6 (NLT) “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”

Now the right path is Jesus (The way, the truth and the life)

Thank you so much for joining in this series. Thank you for reading. Thank you for sharing too. God bless you all. And by His grace, we would raise well rounded genuine Christlike children in Jesus Name. Amen.

* These series on “Raising Well rounded Christlike Children” is for parents with children between ages 0-7 specifically but applicable to all age group.

Christian children church teachers can also learn from it.