This morning in the car I asked two of my kids if they loved Jesus, to which they responded YES! As a proud mama I shined my star. Wanting to know more of their thoughts and slightly hoping for a childlike yet profound answer, I asked them why they loved Jesus. My five year old responded, “because he protects us and keeps us safe!” *shine star* “…He protects us from…trees, and falling off cliffs,” okay… “and he keeps us safe when we have bad dreams.” So sweet, right? When asked the same question to my three year old, she just yelled, “pink and purple!” which is a very typical answer for her lately to almost any question. But then she asked me: “Mama, you love Jesus?” I was so prepared to hear their cute reasons why they loved Jesus that I didn’t consider that they might ask me back. And that question from my three year old gave me something to really think about.
As faithful Christians we want so badly to teach our kids truth, bring them up in righteousness, and make sure that they love God. I would say for most of us this mighty responsibility is quite a stressor. We love our kids! We want what is best for them! And we know that what is best for them is to love Him and stay on the covenant path. So how do we teach them to love God when we know that we cannot force them, because of, you know, that whole personal agency thing?
How do we begin to love anyone or anything? We spend time with it until it becomes a major part of our lives. If Jesus Christ is not a major part of our own lives, how can we expect our children to want Him to be a major part of theirs? When our children see that we love the Lord, that we spend time with Him, that we have made Him an integral part of our whole lives–not just picking and choosing when, like oil and water that can be separated, but completely incorporating Him like water and a lemonade packet–when they see how much we love Him and how happy living a life according to Him makes us, they have a higher chance of choosing it for themselves. Here are some ideas:
- Have consistent family scripture study and prayer. I know this is so difficult with babies and toddlers, but in the early years the important thing here is consistency over quality or length of time.
- Express your love for Him, and ask Him for help in your real life challenges in family prayers, not just in private prayers (as appropriate).
- Let them see you studying your scriptures. If you use your devices for this, let them know what you’re doing, show them, or invite them to join you.
- Bring Him up often throughout the day: meal time prayers, natural teaching about nature and behavior, and expressing gratitude for the blessings God gives us daily.
- Family Testimony Meetings: A chance for us to share the things we know about God and how He has blessed our life, and a chance for them to do the same if they are comfortable. It shows them that expressing pure testimony doesn’t have to be only at church but in the home, and it can be comfortable, regular, and natural.
Of course because of that beautiful and sometimes irritating gift of agency, there is not really a formula for creating a child that loves the Lord. But as a parent you can’t go wrong following the age-old saying “teach by example.” So maybe before, or as, you ask your children if they love Jesus and why, ask yourself–Do I truly love Him? Why? What does that look like in my life? What is He protecting me from? Is He completely incorporated in my life? What does that look like? So to answer my three year old’s question: “Yes, I do love Jesus.”
