Children are perhaps one of the greatest, if not the most heart wrenching and frustrating gifts from the Lord. As a parent, you are entrusted with raising them with strong Christian values, knowledge of right and wrong, and the skills needed to make the right choices when the time comes.
You also might realize that there are a number of challenges facing you as you undertake this task. Here are a few of the challenges that you might come across. If you do, don’t fret. By keeping your faith in the forefront of everything you do, even the most turbulent of children will make you and your God beam with pride.
The first challenge that you as a parent may face is the simple fact that all humans are unique.
A shy reserved mother just might bear the most extroverted little boy she has ever seen. Or a father’s daughter might test every command, and try and break every rule, while her father followed the straight and narrow path.
While these examples can lead some parents to try and pull out their hair, a Christian parent will soon realize that this diversity is simply an example of the creativity of God. Each unique child will grow into a unique individual, with the ability to give great and wonderful things to the world.
As it is said in I Corinthians 12:21
“The eye cannot say to the hand ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’”
This simple truth can serve as a reminder to all of us, that all is needed and accounted for in God’s plan.
Of course, even if you master the challenges presented by your own children, there is still the world to contend with.
The world, more then ever, will present your children with secular influences, ones that parents will have to compete with on a daily basis. From television shows that degrade humans, or video games that show the wholesale destruction of the world that God created, it is little wonder why children today are losing their faith.
However, as a parent, you have the ability to make sure that your children grow in faith. Your steadfastness, your wisdom can be the foundation that they need to see the world for what it is, and how to interact with it.
By showing them how to act through your interaction with people, you can deal with the challenges of raising Christian children with the strength and security found only with God.
Raising Christian children is certainly challenging. But with the Lord on your side, gripping the Bible in your hands, and the word firmly planted in your heart, everything will turn out alright.
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Prov 22:6
About CSAHM
As a parent, raising my children in this crazy world can be scary. I take every opportunity I can to help my children feel the Spirit of God, so that they recognize that Spirit and want to have it in their lives. It is hard, but we pray every day together, morning and night. We read scriptures, we try to every day before bed. We strive to have a family night every week where we discuss gospel principles. Each child is unique and has their own free will, I am just hoping to channel it all in the right direction.