Raising Kids to Follow Christ: Instilling a Lifelong Trust in God
As a mom, I long to build a foundation of truth and instill Biblical principles within my children, but sometimes I struggle with knowing how to do so, and I'm always on the search for good, solid resources to help me. Lee Ann Mancini’s TV show Sea Kids has been (and still is!) a valuable resource for my children to learn how to work through problems from a Biblical perspective, so when I heard she was releasing a book called “Raising Kids to Follow Christ: Instilling a Lifelong Trust in God”, I knew I had to read it.
Her book is overflowing with advice, suggestions, and instruction on how to incorporate God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit into our daily lives: saying short prayers out loud for our kids to model; disciplining in a way that's effective and loving; nurturing and affirming positive characteristics within our kids in a practical way; helping them learn to trust God and to develop a Biblical worldview. This is definitely a book that I will be going back to time and time again as my children grow. Once is not enough!
My heart for my kids is not just to teach them Biblical principles, but also to help them fall in love with Jesus. As parents, it is our job (and honor) to lead our children spiritually - we need to be thinking seriously about this and leading them with purpose and intention; it doesn't just happen by accident. On page 25, Lee Ann reminds us that “It takes diligence to keep discouragement, distractions, guilt, and anger—the devil’s tools—from sinking us into the spirit of inadequacy or regret. To counter this, we should fix our eyes on Jesus, ‘the pioneer and perfecter of faith’ (Hebrews 12:2). He can restore what the locusts have eaten. (See Joel 2:25.)” (pg. 25).
Along with fixing our eyes on Jesus, we need to remember to go to the Holy Spirit for help, as He is so often forgotten. It is vital for our children to understand the importance of His presence within us as we live our lives. I love how Lee Ann talks about the Holy Spirit, encouraging us to talk about Him to our children, and she quotes from Anne Graham in describing each of His roles:
“Comforter: One Who relieves of mental distress.
Counselor: One Who gives advice and manages causes.
Helper: One Who furnishes relief or support.
Intercessor: One Who acts between parties to reconcile differences.
Advocate: One Who pleads the cause of another.
Strengthener: One Who causes strength and endurance.
Standby: One Who can be always relied upon³⁷”
³⁷Anne Graham Lotz, “The Wonderful Someone,” Hugh’s News, February 14, 2019, www.hughsnews.com/newsletter-posts/the-wonderful-someone-by-anne-graham-lotz.” (pg. 84).
As our kids grow, we are also growing on our parenting journey, and it's essential to remember that God equips us with everything we need to parent our children, including the Holy Spirit - this is how we can gain confidence in and truly thrive in our parenting.
Lee Ann shares so many other necessary and beneficial things for us, and I encourage you to purchase her book on Amazon or other retailers to read it for yourself and either share with other parents or keep it close at hand to refer back to 😊
For more information about Lee Ann, you can check out her website here and if you're on the lookout for FREE downloads and Biblical resources, check out the Raising Christian Kids website here - I'm signed up for their email newsletter!
I'll leave you with this last exhortation from Lee Ann: “We must be vigilant in raising our children to be prepared to stand strong in faith against the anti-Christian culture. We must instill in them a love for God and His Word and a desire to live according to His principles. Above all, we must pray for our children to remain strong in their faith and one day be able to impact the world for Christ. ‘Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies’ (Psalm 8:2)” (pg. 15, emphasis mine).
Further Reading:
Here are some other books she references in her book that I'd like to read next:
“Revolutionary Parenting: What the Research Shows Really Works” by George Barna - this one I've read before with a small group when my firstborn was 18 months, and it was the perfect time to read it. I learned so much, and it transformed my parenting & gave me confidence at a time when I was just learning how to actually parent! (But however old your kids are is a perfect time to read it!)
“Rooted in Wonder: Nurturing Your Family's Faith Through God's Creation” by Eryn Lynum
“8 Great Smarts: Discover and Nurture Your Child's Intelligences” by Kathy Koch, PhD
