Navigating the Walk of a Christian Mother

I am a christian wife, mother, and daughter. I have two small children--a boy and a girl who hold my whole world in their small, puffy little hands. Becoming a mother has been a joy that I will hold onto for the rest of my life, but it is also a heavy responsibility with more questions than answers at times. 

If I am honest, sometimes the thought of raising children who love God seems daunting in 2024. Perhaps parents have felt this way through time, as things in our history have progressed to more and more modern themes. Perhaps it was never a concern whether, once their kids left the house, they would have a personal relationship with Jesus. But here I am, a mother of a two year old son and a seven month old daughter, wondering if it is too soon to start on certain spiritual topics. Long story short, I have come to this pivotal conclusion:  we typically wait too late as parents.

There is one thing my two year old knows, and that is that Momma and "Gaddy" (as he pronounces it) love him with our whole hearts. We tell him multiple times a day out of sheer uncontrollable joy for every new, adorable mannerism or word he learns. He knows to come to us when he is hungry or thirsty. He knows I will make any booboo better with a kiss. He also knows that, even when he pretends to fall for the 20th time in a row, I will still make him feel like it's the first time so he always knows that I care about him and his safety.  You see, my husband and I show him everyday through words, actions, and physical touch that he is loved and safe with us. There was never a question in our minds that he wasn't ready to understand those concepts this early.

They say the most significant learning an individual experiences occurs by the age of four years old.  All of the information and experiences they gain are imprinted in them as children. In fact, adults can go their whole lives trying to heal from wounds that were created in them as small children. So, If my two year old is old enough to know how much his family cares for him and loves him, then he is old enough to know about Jesus and how much Jesus loves him. The only difference is that we, as the parents, have to get their little minds churning on these ideas early. We have to say all the words Jesus would say to them and give Him all of the credit. We have to teach them how to pray with people, and teach the how and why we worship. They are not too small for such concepts. They are able to conceptualize God and understand Him more now than they will when they become a little older. 

When we have a plan to talk of Jesus often, and speak of His goodness and how much He cares for them, we don't have to be afraid of how they will grow their personal relationship with Him as they age. Although I am sure that our children will require prayer throughout all their seasons of growth as I did, at least we can be comforted that God was imprinted on them at the most important time, and that they can look to Him for the rest of their lives.

We started letting our son pray for people in the altar before he was one year old, and now he walks around with his Papa and prays in the altar for everyone he can get his hands on. We also recently started teaching him to give God a hug by looking up at the sky or ceiling and hugging the air. Pretty soon he started calling God "sweet" and "good" and even started having moments in the day where he looked up randomly and said, "Hi, God," with a sweet smile while waving his hand in the air vigorously.  And when he accidentally learned what ghosts were, we explained to him who the Holy "Goush" was (as he calls Him) and how He was his friend, and all other ghosts are afraid of Him. It is the cutest thing.

So I encourage you, if you want your children to love God with all their heart, start earlier than you think and show them often. Help them fall in love with Jesus in how you portray Him, telling them how much you love Him and how He would do anything for them.  Tell them about all that He has done for you. For He knew them in the womb, and it is our honor as parents to help them know their precious Lord very soon after.