Helping your children follow Jesus …
What’s your goal as a parent?
What’s your parenting objective? Is it to raise well-behaved children with good values, a strong sense of right and wrong, and a desire to be responsible citizens? Is it their cognitive, emotional, physical and spiritual well-being? Or is it to ensure they receive a top-notch education, excel in school, secure a high-paying job, and build a successful career? Of course, every parent wants to see their children do well, but is acquiring joy and contentment, establishing relationships, finding a satisfying job, or positively contributing to society the be-all and end-all of child-rearing?
What’s God’s plan for your children?
God doesn’t want children to go through life without Him. They’re not equipped, and it was never God’s plan for them to go their own way. Following Jesus is the ultimate goal. God wants children to believe, belong and become like Him. Is it difficult? Yes, it is. But living in a godless world without His companionship and guidance is much more difficult. As Jesus says, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it” Matthew 16:25.
How to help your children follow Jesus.
So, what’s involved in helping your children follow Jesus? In short, it’s embracing His Way – appropriating the fullness of life He graciously provides. Note the word “appropriating.” It means adopting or incorporating the way Jesus lived into one’s life. It’s nurturing a closeness and intimacy with Jesus. For parents, it’s showing children how they can make the life that Jesus offers their own.
Practicing the presence of Jesus.
There’s no program or formula for helping your children follow Jesus, and it doesn’t function at digital speed. It’s a progression—a slow process that involves coming to Him, growing to love Him, and then wanting to do what He does. It’s slowly but surely bridging the gap between our way of life and the way of Jesus. While it isn’t a program, it does take practice. From a parenting perspective, it’s helping children keep Jesus in mind, focus on Him throughout the day, and develop spiritual habits that bring honour and glory to Him.
Living with purpose.
Jesus said, “Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you” John 15:4 (MSG). Note the phrase “live in me.” What are your children living in? Where is their emotional home? If your children live in the gaming world, that’s what’s forming them. If their emotional home is impacted by their grades at school, that’s what’s forming them. Take stock of what’s consuming most of your children’s time and energy. The reality they live in is the reality they will live out.
Making Jesus the center of your family life.
Following Jesus isn’t a side hustle; it’s a full-time gig. Christian parents should aim to help children make Jesus the main point of their lives, not an optional extra. To be in the company of Jesus, you and your children must organize your lives around Him. You do this as a family by making yourselves available to God every day. Is this disruptive? Definitely! Following Jesus isn’t convenient, fast, or simple. It impacts daily decisions and activities. But children gain infinitely more united with Christ compared to when they’re isolated from Him.
The inward and outward journey of following Jesus.
Finally, following Jesus is both an inward and outward journey. You must help your children discover who they are in Christ and, equally, help them love others as they love themselves (Matthew 22:39). This can only happen in tandem with the Holy Spirit. Ask God to restore, remould, and release your children. And while doing this, encourage your children to follow Jesus in ways that work for the well-being of everyone (John 15:12).
With the above in mind, hit repeat. For your children to follow Jesus, you must help them press into Him over and over again.
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Summary
Helping children follow Jesus is the ultimate goal for Christian parents. This article explores how parents can guide their children in developing a relationship with Christ through intentional, everyday practices. It highlights the importance of making Jesus the center of family life by organizing daily activities around Him, emphasizing that spiritual growth takes time and practice. It also encourages parents to nurture intimacy with Jesus and help children live purposefully, focusing on Him throughout the day. Parenting with purpose means teaching children to follow Jesus not as a side pursuit but as the foundation of their lives. This journey is both inward, helping children discover their identity in Christ, and outward, teaching them to love others. For parents searching for a “Christian parenting guide” or “spiritual growth for kids,” this article provides practical insights to make Jesus central to family life.
© Scripture Union, 2025
Soli Deo Gloria
One Response
Nice teaching. I need more of this to help my children and others.