Passing on a Faith That Sticks

The topic at my MOPs (Mother’s of Preschoolers) group these last two weeks have been about planning out your family legacy. I’ve been asked to really think about what I want my family to look like 8 years from now and to map out a plan to get there- to be intentional about passing on our family’s value system to our children.

More than any success, acclaim or dreams that could come true for my children- my biggest prayer for them- my hearts strongest longing for them is that we would raise Godly, brave and honorable men. Whew! What a task.

When you look at  what’s happening in our culture and measure that against your desire to pass on your faith to your children you can feel discouraged to say the least. I am so glad my husband and I are not alone in this ginormous endeavor. We are partnering with the God of the universe to raise the next generation . So we can be courageous and confident- not in our own ability- but in God’s faithfulness to guide us and intervene in our daily lives and in the lives of our children. We serve a personal God who is mighty to SAVE.

And so this HOLY week I want to invite you on an adventure with me. I want to invite you to make a plan about how you can share your Christian faith and what Jesus did for us on the cross with your children. I know this can be extremely intimidating. But we cannot expect Sunday School to do what only we as parents can do so far as passing on these truths to our children and inviting them to know our God.

I struggle with it myself. How do I decorate for Easter? How do I talk to my small kids about not just Jesus dying on the cross but also being raised from the dead? It feels overwhelming and like  these topics are just too complex for small children. It would be so much easier to just get them an Easter basket and call it a day LOL. So here are 5 things YOU CAN DO this week to pass on your faith.

1. DECORATE FOR EASTER. Decorating passes on a message that this is important in our family. They notice. For example, I hung a cross on our gate and Blake asked, “why I did that?” I explained to him that I hung a cross on the gate to remind me of what Jesus did on the cross for me. That when Jesus died on the cross He made it possible for me to be with him in heaven when I die. Which lead to more conversations about death. Blake remembered the movie the, “Lion King,” and asked me “like when Simba’s father died?” We talked about sin. We talked about hell. And we talked about a gracious God who would leave heaven and die on a cross so that we too could go to heaven to be with Him when we die if we believe. Heavy toddler talks. But we’re having the talks and my sons are not too small to understand. God helps me when I don’t think I know what to say. He is so faithful. I got my cross at Hobby Lobby. Other ways  you can decorate are to print and frame scriptures about the resurrection and order a “He is Risen,” sign from an Etsy  vendor.
2. Have a “Resurrection Egg Hunt.” This is a great resource from, “Family Life Today,” where they mail you a dozen “Resurrection Eggs” that are filled with clues about what happened Holy Week. The kids love finding eggs in general but they get super excited to see what clues are in the eggs they found. You can order here at http://www.familylife.com/resurrectioneggs.  You can also do a google search as other companies sell them- these are just my favorite. Your church bookstore might also have some for sale.
3. Read,  “Ever Thine Home’s” free downlaodable Holy Week devotional with your family this week. This one is the easiest of all. All you have to do is read it. They also provide a DIY candle tutorial that accompanies the devotional where you light a candle after each devotion reading each night. Check it out here at www.everthinehome.com/holyweekadvent/
4. Make a message-quiche for Easter brunch or a message-pie for Easter Dinner. This will definitely be the talk of the table and cause people to think about the reason for the celebration. All you need is miniature letter alphabet cookie cutters to make your Easter message. A quick amazon search will link you to some great alphabet cookie cutters. If you’re not comfortable making a homemade dish store-bought pie crust and filling would do just fine.
5. Make the message of the cross a part of your daily living. Passing on the message of Easter shouldn’t be a once-a-year thing. Deuteronomy 6:6-8 says, “…Take to heart these words that I give you today. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you’re at home or away, when you lie down or get up.” We want to our children to see our walk and relationship with God. My kids hear me praying about everything from asking God for help with my time management (sigh), to asking God to provide parking spots when we go on outings – to crying out to God for help in raising them. We help the kids remember bible verses that are applicable in their toddler-world. In our home we talk about how we ALL sin (parents included) and the awful consequences of sin. We thank God each night for sending his son to die on the cross for our sins. As parents we model asking our children for forgiveness when we’re wrong. It’s just a real part of our lives  I sincerely hope these suggestions have been helpful. If you have any more ideas to share on this topic please leave a comment below!