Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16; emphasis mine)
When I hear how others disciple their kids, I sometimes feel like I’m blowing it. I imagine them in their living room, reverently singing hymns and reading God’s word. As for me and my house, it often looks like sitting on the laundry littered floor reading the Jesus Storybook Bible with one in my lap and the other dunking on his mini basketball hoop.
As a parent, it’s really easy to focus on what you’re not doing. There are endless books to read and discipleship programs — and praise God for that. We have more resources at our disposal than ever before, but this can lead to analysis paralysis and also a low grade sense of guilt.
Now I’m not here to tell you not to worry about leading your kids to Jesus. I’m not here to remove the burden to train them up in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6). God says we should be deeply concerned about the spiritual formation of our children.
But leading your kids to Jesus doesn’t start with a new plan of attack; it starts with you. It starts with your own heart.
In leadership, you can command someone to go or you can invite someone to come with you. Teaching your kids to love Jesus is natural when it’s from the overflow of your heart, but it’s forced and impossible when it’s from parental guilt.
If the word of Christ dwells in you richly, you’ll have grace to give, to demonstrate, and to enjoy. And you won’t try to build your identity on your children — which will crush them — you will build your identity on the honor of being a child of God through Christ (John 1:12).
My kids are inevitably going to experience me when I’m impatient, selfish, and…ungodly. But they will also know that their daddy, a real sinner, knows and loves Jesus. They are going to witness my desperate delight in the Lord as I repent to them and in front of them, testifying to my need for God’s grace.
When flying on an airplane, the flight attendants (or robotic recording thereof) tell you to put on your oxygen mask first in the event of a loss of cabin pressure. You can’t serve anyone if you’re suffocating. So let me ask you: are you inhaling the fresh air of the word of Christ?
Don’t seek Jesus first for your kids; seek Him first for yourself. Once you’ve gazed upon His face and delighted in the reality of who He is for a weary sinful parent like you, you will turn to look at your kids differently.
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