How do you capture your child’s heart? How do you point a heart to follow after truth and to follow after God instead of worldly pursuits?
We’ve been looking at some areas you can focus on when thinking about launching your child as an adult into the great big world. We are building the acronym CHASE, where each letter stands for something.
C is for Character and you can find the post on Character here.
H is for Heart
Today we dive into H. H is for Heart. This is probably the hardest part of parenting. You are not going to be able to control your own kids’ hearts. It is going to be up to them to make a choice about whom they will follow.
Just like Joshua told the Israelites when he knew he was about to die and leave them as their leader. First, he reminded them of their history and where they had been. Then, he challenged them.
He said they would need to make the choice for themselves. They would have to choose whom they would follow and whom they would serve.
“Choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15
They Decide For Themselves
In the same way, your children will decide for themselves whom they will serve. It is a very hard thing to let go of them after you have been parenting them for all those years. But one day, you will have to let go of your control and give it to the Lord.
Ultimately, He is the one responsible for their hearts. Nothing you can do can change that.
However, in the meantime, there are a few things that may help increase the likelihood of your children choosing to follow the Lord. Click here to get your free pdf worksheet on how to launch your child.
4 Ways To Influence Your Kids to Give Their Heart To Christ:
1. Be a Godly Role Model
First of all, if YOU are following Him yourself, they will have a higher chance of making the right choice. This means spending time with the Lord and living in a way that reflects obedience to His word.
It is not a guarantee that your children will do the same, but it is a good model for them to follow.
Let them see you in the Word and prayer. Because you are seeking the Lord, they will know where your priorities lie.
2. Actively Pray For Them
Secondly, you can pray for your children. Pray that each one’s heart would choose the Lord.
- Keep a prayer journal of what you are asking for God to do in their lives.
- Write out verses that apply that you can pray back to God.
- Ask them, “How can I be praying for you?”
- Sometimes, it is even better to not tell them but to be praying for them behind the scenes.
3. Point Them To The Word
Third, when a problem comes up, point them to what the Bible says about it. What do you think the Bible says about friendship, betrayal, kindness, endurance? Find verses that apply and talk about how to implement these verses in their lives. Here’s one of my absolute favorite resources for doing this.
4. Keep Them Active In Church
Fourth, make sure to keep them going to church and making friends. If you need to switch churches during this season to find a better fit for your kids, don’t be afraid to do that.
It’s important that they find a place that feels like home. We look for qualities in a church that include: doctrinally sound, engaging youth group, great leaders, and ministry opportunities for the whole family.
Examine Yourself!
In conclusion, take time today to evaluate whether you are modeling for your children the path that chooses to follow Christ. Are you a good role model? Are you making wise choices in your own life? As we choose wisely, our kids will see that and it can be a stepping stone in the right direction.
This post is part three in a series of posts on launching your student into the world.
Click here to go to the beginning of the series.
Click here to go to the next post in the series: A is for Academics.
Blessings,
Michelle
