What do you value? What are you teaching your children to value? Have you asked yourself this question recently? Is it wealth, fame or status? As Christians, wanting to raise kids for God’s Kingdom, what should our core values be?
How do we know, as Christian moms what we should value and how do we instill these in our children? We first look at our greatest guide, the Bible! The Bible is where we should always go first with any questions we have in mind about ANYTHING!
As we read through God’s word, we can see through the life of Jesus and the example He left for us, that He came to break the traditions of the “norm” that most people were living. He actually lived the total opposite!
When the “norm” was to hate your enemy, Jesus said, “love them”. When the norm was to keep what you had for yourself, Jesus said, “Give to the poor”. Can you see a trend here? Jesus tells and shows us exactly what our Christian values, walk and talk should look like.
Values for Christians
As we are raising up kids for God’s kingdom and instilling Christian values in them, we first have to lead by example. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I need a reminder of where my priorities should be! Here is a list of some of the common core values Christians should live by each and everyday of our lives.
- humility
- faith
- love
- generosity
- respect
- forgiveness
- honesty
- integrity
- loyalty
- service
Let’s take a deeper look at some of these wonderful Christian values and how we can be sure we are living them out as well as teaching our children to do the same.
Faith
Faith is defined as, “the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). Today, it is the “norm” to have to see it or touch it in order to believe it. If something is impossible with man, then it must be impossible, right?
Wrong! We believe that ALL things are possible with God and that He will strengthen and equip us to do whatever is set before us.
Pray with your children for the things that you all are believing for. Show them God’s promises in His Word, and then rejoice with them when those prayers are answered. This will help build faith for you and for them!
Christian Value of Integrity
Is it just me or does it seem like telling the truth and doing what you say you are going to do are somewhat foreign these days?
We definitely have to continue to show and remind our children that upholding their integrity is always the way to go. It may not always be easy or popular, but it is how we are called to live as Christians.
As it says in Proverbs 10:19, ” “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.”
Let your children see you telling the truth in love, keeping your promises and doing what you said you would do. This will be one of the best ways to instill the Christian value of integrity.
Another effective way of instilling the value of integrity into our children is by asking them how they feel when someone has broken a promise to them or not been truthful with them.
Having them examine their feelings after being on the other side of this, is a great way to see how this can make one feel.
They will think a little harder before treating someone the same way.
Christian Value of Forgiveness
Colossians 3:13 tells us to, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Another verse says in Matthew, 6:14, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
The Bible clearly instructs us to forgive those who do us wrong. In order to receive forgiveness, we have to give forgiveness.
Friends, if you are holding onto something that someone did to you, I ask that you take sometime to pray and find it in your heart to let it go.
Holding on to grudges and mistreatments does more harm to ourselves than it does the other person. Anger, bitterness, resentment has an effect on our relationships, health and overall well being.
We have to lead the way by example when the favored choice is to not forgive and try to get even. We have to show our children the way, just as Jesus showed us the way by the way He lived.
Just as we talked about earlier with integrity, another great way to help teach our children about forgiveness is to talk with them about their own experiences.
It is important to explain to them that forgiving is not always forgetting. We should also discuss that we all make mistakes and should be given grace and mercy.
With that means, sometimes relationships can be mended and continue, but that also means we can love from a distance and still pray for the person who has mistreated us.
Conclusion
In conclusion, instilling Christian values in our kiddos from early ages is one of the most important things we can do as Christian mamas. It is our calling to raise up our little ones in God’s love and admonition.
Leading by example in the way of Christian values will help pave a great start for our young ones. The examples that are being highlighted in our society today are unfortunately not those given to us from our greatest example, Jesus Christ.
When we join together as a community of moms raising kids for God’s kingdom and instilling Christian values at early ages, our children’s lights will shine in the dark places of our communities, schools and even world! We can begin to change the trajectory of this next generation!
What are some your core Christian values for you and your household? Please share in the comments below what they are and how you are implementing them! We would love to hear form you!
