At Faith in kids our message to parents is: “You are plan A for the children God has given you.” We want parents to confidently embrace the role God has given them in raising their children to know and trust Jesus. We want parents to fully depend on God to work through his Spirit to do what they can’t, his saving work in their child’s life.
But often as parents we are convinced we will stuff this up. We feel like there must be someone better, more equipped, more godly than us – an expert who can nurture our child’s faith. We send kids to school to be taught by professionals – this is even more important so we should leave it to “God-experts” at church… right!?
Wrong. No one knows or loves your child like you do. God designed your child to be in your care for this time – he purposefully planned it this way – he picked you for the job, his confidence in you is great. God is with you and is for you, and he places you amongst other believers in the Church so that they can help you to raise your child to know and love God.
To the person who has read this far and still says – “but I’m not plan A…”, because life tells you that you’re plan B – as the child of divorced parents, raised by a single mum and an adoptive mum now… let me put my arm around you and say, “I know”, and then I’m going to look deep into your eyes, with tears in mine and tell you, “You are God’s Plan A”.
Our measure of what is good for our kids often doesn’t match God’s. We think we need to be a picture-perfect family, providing for our child’s happiness and comfort. In Deuteronomy 6, God tells his people Israel how to raise children to fear the Lord and live under his blessing. First the adults are to love God with all their heart, soul and strength, and write his laws upon their hearts; not just the ten commandments, the whole Bible. Then God says, “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up”.
This is what God wants us to do for our children – show them Jesus. Not only by taking them to church, but in the whole of life. Every day, in big ways and in small. Show them what it means to be a broken, messy person, living in a broken, messy world, trusting that God is completely in control and clinging to his promises.
If our children see us loving them and loving Jesus, they are getting what they most need. Parents, whatever your circumstances we say with confidence, “You are plan A for the children God has given you”. Keep trusting that God, through his Spirit, will do his saving work in your child’s heart.
