Raising Kids Who Know God

Our children need more than information about God, they need to know Him. In this episode, Nicole and Stephanie continue Motherhood Rooted in Grace with a conversation about raising kids who know God, not just know about Him. We cannot manufacture saving faith in our children. Salvation is the sovereign work of God, and our responsibility is faithful teaching, modeling, discipline, prayer, and discipleship, not controlling the outcome. In This Episode Why knowing God is relational, not merely informational Why passing on our faith is so hard when the culture shouts the opposite What it looks like when we try to raise faithful kids on our own strength What Jesus shows us about children and faith in Mark 10:13-16 Six ways to layer faith into ordinary, everyday moments What It Means to Raise Kids Who Know God I can teach my children Bible stories and verses, but ultimately I want them to know the God those things point to. My children are not projects I can successfully complete with the right formula. Shepherding a Child's Heart says the goal is not simply to modify behavior but to help our children understand that life is found in knowing and serving the true and living God. A child can obey out of fear or a desire to look good, and none of that necessarily means their heart has been transformed. Grace based parenting asks us to entrust our children to Christ, not try to control them into Christianity. Why Passing On Our Faith Is So Hard We cannot actually manufacture faith in our kids. The culture is loud and relentless, and it can feel like we are whispering truth while the world shouts the opposite. James K.A. Smith writes in You Are What You Love that we are formed less by what we are told and more by our habits and daily rhythms, so faith is caught in a thousand ordinary moments. We think of the father in Mark 9 who brought his struggling son to Jesus and said, I believe, help my unbelief. We do not have perfect faith to hand our kids, but we can keep bringing them, wavering hearts and all, to Him. What It Looks Like When We Try to Do It on Our Own One danger is turning parenting into behavior modification, managing behavior rather than shepherding the heart. High control or image control parenting can reveal something about our own hearts, correcting a child because their behavior is inconvenient rather than out of love. Discipline shifts from how dare you disobey me to let me help you understand your heart and where you can run for forgiveness. Faith Layer "Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God." Mark 10:14 Jesus does not tell us to manufacture our children's faith, He just says bring them to Him. Salvation is not dependent on our performance. We can teach, pray, and model, but only God regenerates a heart, so we do not have to parent out of panic. Resources Mentioned Shepherding a Child's Heart, Tedd Tripp You Are What You Love, James K.A. Smith Becoming MomStrong, Heidi St. John Wise Words for Moms, Ginger Hubbard Final Encouragement You do not have to be a perfect Christian to raise kids who love Jesus. Just keep pointing them to Him. Pick one small faith rhythm this week, a prayer at bedtime or a verse at breakfast, and start there. Next time in Motherhood Rooted in Grace: When You Feel Like You're Failing. Stay grounded and keep growing. http://www.groundedgrowth.org - Instagram: @GroundedGrowthMO