Parenting: Teaching Your Children About Jesus

First and foremost, Adam and I try to base our parenting solely on the bible and surrounding Jesus.  We both began out walk when Jayden was 2 years old, so it is still a learning experience for the both of us.  As we continue to study the bible and live a worthy life there are a number of things we do daily.

1. Reading Scriptures.  Reading from the Scripture daily helps as a way to bring about discussions or questions from Jayden.  Sometimes it is only a verse but we always talk about what the verse is saying and say a pray after it.  I pray that by doing this it will help Jayden's spiritual growth and provide the information he needs to understand His grace, life and how He died for our sins.

2. Give Thanks.  Children soak in more information and behavior then we think.  I make it a point to give thanks to the Lord not only at meal times but when our prayers have been answered as well.  On the flip side of this, when we say our prayers together at night and our prayers are not answered right away, I make sure that we both give thanks because Jesus is still listening to us and guiding us in the right direction.

3. Praise and Worship.  Praise and worship plays a huge part in our daily lives.  While we are home or in the car some type of Christian music or a sermon is playing.  It amazes me how many songs Jayden knows word for word.  The music really gets into Jayden's heart and I can see him feeling the words he is singing.  He may not know exactly what the lyrics mean but it will eventually spark questions.

4. Authority.  As some of my facebook friends can see, Jayden feels that since Daddy is on the road, he is in charge.  Adam and I are both learning to teach Jayden that there is someone even bigger and better then both Adam and I: Jesus.  Jesus is the "boss" in our home.  He is who we answer to everyday.  This will help Jayden understand that even when he leaves our home when he is older, there is still someone he needs to answer to and obey.

5. Prayer.  Teaching Jayden to pray has been one of the most challenging yet rewarding things we've ever done.  Let's be honest, I am still learning how to pray.  By teaching Jayden how to pray, he is establishing a direct line of communication to God.  He is beginning his own personal journey with the Lord and his prayers are truly coming form his heart and how he is feeling.  

These are just some of things we practice on a daily basis and they are all a work in progress but I wholeheartedly believe this is and should be the foundation of parenting.  I will leave you with a passage from Deuteronomy which acknowledges the fact that as Christians it is our duty to teach our children about Jesus.

"Impress them on your children.  Talk about then when you sit at home and when you walk along, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."  -Deuteronomy 6:7-9