Parenting with a Purpose

By God’s grace, I have two young children. They’re twins, and they bring so much joy and happiness to my wife and me. They’re at the age now where they can say some words, but not a lot of them. However, I recently discovered that they can mimic my hand motions, body language, & vocal tone VERY well, which has been a reminder that they may not understand what I’m saying, but they can follow what I’m modeling.

Whether you’re a youth leader, a parent, or both, it’s safe to say that you want your kids to follow Jesus—to live for & love Him, to be an authentic Christian, and to fulfill His calling on their lives. But one thing that I’ve had to learn and relearn at times is this: most of the students in the room may not be able to tell you what your last two sermons were about or keep their attention span focused on what you’re saying for longer than twenty minutes (thank you, social media.)

However, you can model what you want to see in them. I recently heard it said that the best way for you to raise godly disciples is to be a godly disciple yourself. Paul told his fellow believers to “follow me as I follow Christ.” Your kids, whether they come to your church or they’re your own, need to see you living for Jesus—maybe not perfectly, but at least faithfully. Invite them in to see that you don’t just live for Jesus on Sundays & Wednesday nights. But that He is your Lord and Savior each day.

Let them see an imperfect person who’s being renewed—that their youth leader and/or parent isn’t a superhero. But you are someone who’s doing your best to reflect the love & light of Jesus to the world around you. When we do, we’ll not only pastor/parent godly kids, but we’ll also leave an eternal impact & legacy for them to follow.

Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

• If you have kids of your own, what are the biggest challenges you face as a youth worker?
• How can you encourage parents to live intentional lives that consistently point students toward Christ?

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