As parents we find it necessary to utilize discipline to help our children onto the right path. Let's face it, choosing the right choices just doesn't always come naturally. Often we have to force our children to do the right thing as opposed to the things they want because as their parents we know what's best for them. Whether it be enforcing a bedtime so that they are not exhausted the next day, or making sure they eat their vegetables even if they don't like them. We make them do it because we know that they need sleep and a healthy diet to be, well, healthy.
So why not exercise the same discipline when it comes to our children's spiritual health? I remember when Josiah was about four I contemplated how much discipline I ought to utilize when directing my son onto a healthy spiritual walk. I wasn't sure if I should send him to public school, Christian school, or home school. I really was wondering if by kind of "forcing" much of the discipline that accompanies the Christian walk onto my children, that it might backfire on me. I thought to myself, "Should I just let him figure it out? Should I let him fall in love with the Bible on his own?"
Though the desire was for my kid's to have a deep relationship with the Lord, I had these honest questions. But then I thought about it like this. It took me until I was twenty two to make the decision on my own to read the Bible and really get serious about my walk with the Lord. Would I want my child to wait that long?
Then I thought, "Well I probably wouldn't question "forcing" him to eat healthy, or go to bed on time, or limit screen time, or not allow him to go here or there with this or that person.... so why would I not do the same with my son's spiritual health?? It was at that point that my husband and I adopted the philosophy that it's ok to "make" our children read their Bible, go to Christian school, do devotionals, etc. We decided to put him into a Christian school. We've established devotional routines and prayer times. And often we did have to make our children do these things. I also realized that as sinners, we don't naturally desire the Lord and the things of God. I decided to work toward cultivating the discipline required in serving and seeking God in my children.
Another great thing that we've established is the routine of journaling. With their "Letters to God Kid's Journal" they've learned how to establish a daily routine of setting aside time for God. I think that's almost the biggest hurdle for all of us- creating a time devoted to Bible study and prayer. When we devote time each day there is a deep connection to God that is formed. Once again, I have had to be intentional in enforcing a time in the day to have my children fill out their journals. What's great about this journal is that there is a section for prayer that includes thankfulness, confession of sin, asking, and worshipping. And then there's a place to write out a verse or two and then a place to write the application and meaning of those verses. After their journaling I have them "fellowship" with each other and share their entries. They have a lot of fun doing this.
Along with helping my kid's develop a discipline for seeking the Lord through prayer and Bible study, I have also encouraged my children to share their faith with others. This comes pretty natural for my daughter who is pretty outgoing, but my son is a bit more shy. They come with me and pass out gospel tracts to students at the university. They also have come with me to the abortion clinic as we do outreach there. Once again, I had to be intentional in teaching my children that it's important to follow Christ's command to go out into the world and preach the gospel.
Besides, it's completely Biblical to teach our children about God and be directly intentional in doing so. Deuteronomy 11:19 says, "You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up." That's pretty much all the time!
So if we lovingly "make" our children do devotions, pray, read their Bible, and share their faith etc then it'll become a habit. When I think back to my deliberation of whether or not I ought to directly influence my children's walk with the Lord I see that my fears back then were empty. The fear of me making them seek God and it backfiring was a baseless fear. Me hoping they would just find that desire on their own would have been negligent on my part- like me hoping they would find the desire to eat vegetables on their own. And now that Josiah is 10 I see the fruit of our labor. He doesn't give me a hard time to do his Bible studies and family devotions, he actually loves it, and we have lots of fruitful discussions about the Lord
. So parents, don't worry about making them do these spiritual disciplines. They're children and need guidance and direction to help them establish these healthy spiritual disciplines.