Let your Light Shine Before Your Children

When I was growing up, whether in the concert hall or on the playing field, I always played better in practice. Now I know there are some who are the opposite and those types will only serve to prove what I’m trying to say.

But scouts don’t scout practice. Why?

They want to see what you can do when it matters.

The same is true of our Christian walks. Many of us have been lied to that the Christian life is private and meant for closed doors and closed minds.

But is that what the Bible says about how we are to live?

Nope it doesn’t.

What does it say?

Matthew 5:14–16 ESV

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Big Idea: It’s important for your kids (and others) to see your relationship with God.

1. Don’t be so private.

Now, in the world that we live in we are constantly pressured to internalize our faith. Keep it to yourself, between you and God.

And while I hope you can come to accept that this is a lie of the devil, a bigger problem is when do this in our own homes…in front of our own kids.

Now I know that some of you don’t have kids. But God willing one day you will. But this still applies to your life.

Life out your Christian life in such a way, that those around you are drawn to your light.

There is an entire generation of children that are growing up to believe that the church has no real relevance to their lives. Why? Because they never saw it in the home. Or what they did see as “Christian” wasn’t all that appealing.

2. Live it out in words an actions.

It starts with your words. Especially those words to your spouse.

As a father, the most important thing we can do for our kids is to love their mothers. And yes that means putting your spouse first.

Does that mean you never fight? Of course not. It also means that our kids need to see examples of love and compassion. It’s ok to be mushy in front of our kids. Just don’t go overboard. Love is an action and a choice.

Words that we say to our kids are also important. We need to speaks words that build up and give life. Not tear down. We need to be encouraging and not critical. We need to have reasonable expectations. How often, in anger, do we say something to our kids that we wish we could take back? Well you can’t take it back, but you can begin building back up with an apology.

This is living your faith in front of your kids.

But it has to be more than good works.

We have to show them the relationship that we have with God.

Our kids need to see us pray. Reading our Bibles. They need to see us worship God.

We need to make worship on Sunday morning a priority.

But is that enough?

We need to make worship as a family during the week.

Can you find time 2-3 nights a week to gather around the table, read a passage of Scripture? Sing a song? Pray?

Well what if you have a 2 year old? Perfect, start them early. It doesn’t have to be an hour. Just 5-10 minutes of making God in your family a priority.

And dads, the Bible gives this responsibility to us. We can’t relegate this to mom. When we one day stand before God, he will not accept, I didn’t have time.

We always make time for the things that are important.

The biggest indicator of whether a child makes it into adulthood with their faith intact, is not how often they went to church or how spiritual their mother is. It’s their dad’s faith.

So dads I beg you to let your light shine before your kids that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven.