The Struggle of Raising Christian Children in Today’s World + Resources

The Struggle of Raising Christian Children in Today’s World + Resources

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I honestly thank God every single day we have children on fire for God but I also didn’t realize how challenging it would be. I hope you you find some solace and share your own insights with me! We only learn when we talk to each other. Today I talked about how God really opened my eyes when it comes to raising Christian children and I added some of my favorite resources to make the journey a little easier. Thank goodness for good resources! Am I right?

The Good

A few months ago my husband was baptized. He made a public declaration to follow God and boy have I seen it manifest in him. My husband was already an incredible spiritual leader in our home but he really started to shine when he came out of that water. I’ve see him step outside of himself and care for our worldly neighbors in unimaginable ways. 

Our son has always had this incredible faith and after Glenn’s baptism, Oliver expressed interest in being baptized. We wanted to ensure at 7 he knew what that meant and wasn’t doing it because Daddy did it. It’s a big life decision and he’s already decided to be a Pastor someday. We know he’s on pure fire for the Lord but wanted to be really sure about his baptism and ensuring he was doing it for his own reasons. 

Well, after months of conversations, he really knows the meaning. This past Sunday we met with an elder at Church and they prayed together. He accepted Christ and was full of such zeal. I mean he has never been happier. I can’t wait to see what baptism does for him if he’s already this passionate. 

The Not So good

You are probably thinking, where’s the hard part? 

How is this a struggle?

Well, him loving God is not a struggle. He’s made that part easy. He’s never one to shy away from watching a movie on PureFlix or grabbing a new Bible from the store. He always asks for worship music in the car. We truly are blessed in this way. 

The world is not a kind place though. 

 

After his declaration to our Church family (before his big declaration), he wanted to tell EVERYONE. & I mean everyone. We went to lunch and he told every person he saw he was going to follow Jesus. He ran into teachers from school who loved on him and encouraged him. In fact, most of the teachers we’ve met have encouraged both of our children.

But not all.

We found out that day a few weeks ago one his teachers told him he can’t mention Jesus at all. He should not discuss Church, serving, activities at Church, etc. 

He then also has met some lackluster responses from those related to him. The look on his face was so defeated.

It’s really been a learning lesson for me. Not only has it been an opportunity to nurture his faith at home and share that Jesus was also met with adversity but also shown me how powerful that adversary can be.  What I learned is that the adversary will do anything possible to dim his light. He is shining so bright for our Savior and therefore he is vulnerable.

“Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.” 1 John 3:7 

I think about how much good our son can do. How much good so many children can do. The voice of children is honest and innocent. Who better to share the gospel?

Which means who better to snuff out. 

It’s easy to let the world influence our children. It’s harder to ensure they remain a light in the dark place. 

I think about how unfair it is to our seven-year-old to be facing such spiritual warfare at such a young age. 

I think about how much Glenn and myself face attacks and how difficult the road ahead will be for our little one. Glenn and I didn’t become Christians until well into adulthood and so we didn’t experience what our boys are going through. It’s encouraging to know they aren’t alone. Jesus knows how they feel and knows the battles they’ll face. 

While it is an incredible blessing to have sons who want to follow the Savior with all their being, it is incredibly difficult. 

The adversary is coming and coming at them hard just as I know your children are experiencing the same thing. 

All we can do is nurture them. We can fill them with God’s love for them and remind them they have a community of supporters behind them ready to go into Spiritual Battle with them.

I’m thankful we have the resources available all over to encourage their love of God. 

My Favorite Resources

We love PureFlix. You can find great family movies, documentaries, and more here. Our kids are obsessed! I put together some of my favorite Christian Mom approved movies over here too. 

We also recently snagged the Action Bible. For our young ones they love the comic book aspect of the scriptures. It keeps our six-year-old thoroughly locked in and ready to discuss. 

Having a serious church family. We are pretty involved in our church here in Georgia and I highly recommend you do the same. Our children talk more about their “church friends” than other friends. I think the more we can strengthen and nurture those relationships, the more equipped they’ll be. 

Also, talk to your kids. I snagged this book called “Where to Find it in the Bible,” and it has been INCREDIBLY helpful. It has over 3,700 topics listed out so any time our kids have a question, we can turn right to the scriptures if I don’t know off the top of my head. Working on that! 

We also only have educational material on the tablet they share. They can play reading games, math games and “Jesus games” as they call it. It’s a free app that takes them through the stories in the Bible and even quizzes them to see if they paid attention or just clicked the buttons. Very helpful for reading comprehension & scripture study. 2 for 1 win! 

We focus on our marriage also. I think part of raising children who love the Lord and are ready to face the world is to model a healthy marriage the way God intended it. We aren’t perfect by any means. Sometimes I tell my husband he’s being a butthead but we’re trying. I think if our kids can see what a marriage focused on God looks like, they’ll be encouraged to find a partner ready to do battle alongside them one day. 

I know how hard it is mama. I know it’s a struggle to balance it all and then to worry about the spiritual warfare plaguing your children. Just know you aren’t alone. Know I’m here for you. Know that there are resources available to help you. 

If you’ve been struggling with spiritual attacks on your children, let me know how I can support you or share with me how you deal with it. We could all use more support and advice! 

Be sure to join us for the “Wife After God” study! We’re kicking off live January 13, 2020 and I’d love to see more wives and mothers there! The more we can grow spiritually, the better equipped we are to serve our family. 

Sign up for the free study below!

How have you seen the enemy attack your children?

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