A lot can happen in ten years. Believe it or not, you can pack what seems like an entire lifetime into a decade. In a ten year span of time, your six year old will start driving, and your sixteen year old will get married. In a single decade, a twenty six year old will have kids and make their parents grandparents. The thirty six year old will be over the hill and experience their midlife crisis. The 46 year old will become a first time grandparent and a 56 year old will retire over the course of the next ten years. The 66 year old man will (hopefully) surpass the average life expectancy of a male in the United States, and the 76 year old woman will (again hopefully) surpass the average life expectancy for females in the United States.Those fortunate enough to live from 86 to 96 will have outlived 99.5% of everyone else. In the rare case someone lives to 105, they will have lived in two centuries, said goodbye to all of their friends and many family members, become great great grandparents as they welcome new generations into their legacy, and tell stories about the olden days that seem too fantastical to be true but completely are! What’s the point? A decade is a surprisingly long amount of time, but as Jesus’s half brother James put it, life vanishes like a vapor. A lot can happen in ten years, and those same ten years can seem like the blink of an eye.
The same is true of society as it is of your life, but the problem is that societal changes have begun to accelerate at an exponential rate and are on the precipice of becoming completely out of control. Completely off the rails. Unhinged. With so much drastic change over the past decade, it’s imperative for parents to monitor and meter an appropriate schedule of exposure to the ugly side of this world corrupted by sin.
One of the foundational shifts the last decade has seen is the rise of the “influencer.” Social media personalities that are paid to promote brands, products, and ideas through their social media accounts. Gone are the days of big polished marketing campaigns. Corporations, politicians, and special interest groups have embraced the fundamental psychology behind marketing; people trust people. When real people vouch for a brand or a product, we trust what they tell us.
A Neilson study found that 71% of consumers trust advertising, opinions, and product placement from influencers, and 64% of global marketers say it is their most effective paid channel or advertising.
This is the formula behind influencer marketing. Big-money pays regular people to push their products and ideas. People trust people, so we “buy” what they’re selling. We trust the experiences of others.
But what if I told you that parents are the single most important influence in the life of a child, not social media influencers, or their friends, or teachers, or coaches. Parents. Most parents wouldn’t believe it. In a Parents Empowered survey, parents placed themselves last in the line-up of influences on their children– after friends, teachers, and social media. But when youth answered the same question, they placed their parents first– before family, friends, teachers, and clubs/activities. Don’t dismiss that or let its significance slip by. That’s a tremendous reason for hope, especially for a Christian parent!
Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. Proverbs 22:6
As a Christian parent, there are 5 simple things you can do to help your children develop a faith of their own:
1. Pray with your children - Prayer is one of the most significant ways to help your children build a relationship with God. Pray with them daily, and encourage them to pray in their own time as well. Teach them to listen for God's voice and provide them with guidance on how to talk to Him.
2. Read the Bible together - Reading the Bible is vital for building a strong faith foundation. Take time to read scripture with your children and explain the meaning and teachings. Start with some of the Bible stories that are easy to understand, and as they grow older, introduce more complex passages. The Gospel of John is a great place to start.
3. Attend church regularly - Attending church is an essential part of a Christian's life. Make sure you take your children to church every week and get them involved in the activities and events. This helps them to form relationships with other Christians and solidify their own faith.
4. Teach them to serve others - It's essential to teach your children to give back to the community and serve others in need. You can do this by volunteering together, or by encouraging them to join a church group that focuses on community service. Charity is at its very core a Christian principle, a natural result of the Holy Spirit in us.
5. Model your faith - As a Christian parent, you are the primary role model for your children. Your actions and behaviors significantly impact their faith journey. Always strive to model your faith, values, and morals. Show them how to pray, how to read the Bible, and how to live a Christian life. And praise in your kids what you want to see repeated.
As a parent you have the opportunity to help your children develop a deep, meaningful, fulfilling relationship with God. The five actions mentioned above will provide your children with a solid foundation of faith, guidance, and love. By instilling these values in your kids, you are not only helping them, but you are also fulfilling God's calling on your life as a parent: to lead your kids to saving faith in Jesus Christ and a growing relationship with Him. Because believe it or not, a lot can happen in ten years, and you can lay an eternal foundation for your children in just a decade. So Influence your children with the level of confidence that they have in your influence.
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