It is not enough for parents to just introduce God to their kids and have them discover more of Him.
Children need to know that the God their parents are praying and giving thanks to is alive and can do for them what He is doing in their parents' lives.
So, how should parents share with their kids what God is doing in their lives?
Jennie Allen, two-time New York Times Best Selling Author and blogger, encourages parents to do these three simple ways to give their kids an extensive view of God.
Let kids get to know God more
1. Parents need not fear sharing their mistakes.
Most often, parents think that parenting needs to be this extensive exercise in perfection. But they should know that perfection robs them of the need for God. There is beauty in imperfection; not only will it be appreciated by the children, but it will make them better individuals, too - less self-conscious and kinder to themselves.
When kids witness their moms and dads being imperfect, they witness their parents needing God, telling them they also need Him. Parents ought to be the "best apologizers and confessors" their kids will ever know.
2. Learn about God together.
There will be "sweeter conversations" if parents and children study and discover God together. More so, this is actually following a command in Scripture:
"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up" (Deuteronomy 11:18-19).
Parents do not need to know everything. They just need to trust God, and in doing so, their kids will see the significance of it.
3. Have the end goal in mind.
Parents can do a million other things, but there's nothing more important than giving their kids to God.
Years go fast, and this can put a lot of pressure on parenting. Yet, it can also give parents a lot of vision.
It does not have to be a structured, scheduled, routinary discipleship time all the time. Parents must be intentional in the "little moments" throughout their day. With this, the children will see and experience God working, and God present in their daily lives as they grow.
Kids may connect with God differently
In all these simple ways, however, parents should not assume that their way of connecting with God is the same way their kids should commune with God, Focus on the Family emphasized.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to faith.
Pastor and author Gary Thomas once said that there is nothing God wants but to know His child genuinely, not a "caricature" of who somebody else wants them to be. God wants His people to worship Him according to how He uniquely made them with a certain personality and spiritual temperament.
God delights in the difference between His children. Thus, parents should not miss those teachable moments, but they need to expect that these may look different from theirs or their other children.
Parents can also consider helping their children by finding mentors with the same spiritual temperament as theirs, someone who can teach them how to connect with God in the same way they do.
A parent's ultimate role is to open their eyes to the unique way God communicates with their kids. Only then can they respond by using those three simple ways to partner with Him in their children's journey.
