There’s a recurring theme as I talk to parents in today’s culture — an undercurrent of panic as they witness their children’s love grow cold for all things Christian and even for Jesus. What makes it especially heartbreaking is the complete shock I hear as many parents seem to have been caught completely off guard.
How could their kids not only stray from the Christian faith but, in many cases, head in the polar opposite direction?
I feel like every believing parent wants to know how they can teach their kids to follow Jesus wholeheartedly — but not all have taken an honest, hard look at whether the way they are raising their children is helpful or harmful to that end.
Here’s what I mean. Following Christ has become little more than a slogan or moniker for far too many Christians today — a comfortable addition to their hobbies, interests, religious resume and political prerequisites, or even a safety net to assure a spot in heaven. That hardly aligns with “seek first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33, ESV). And it has little or no chance at lodging Jesus securely on the throne of our hearts, high above anyone or anything else. Therein lies the problem.
Jesus isn’t a spiritual accessory or some sort of divine decoration mostly for show. Jesus can’t be an add-on.
And if He’s an add-on for parents and grandparents, what hope do we have that He will be more than that for our kids?
So, if our desire is to teach this generation and the next to follow Jesus over anything or anyone, then we have to show them that He’s worth following in our own lives.
Practically, this means we don’t simply put Him first on a daily priority list we glance at on the fridge door before leaving for work, golf, book club, meet-ups with friends and family, or anything else. The problem with giving Jesus a place on a list — even if it’s number one — is that we tend to think “first things first” instead of “first things all.”
No, Jesus has to be the center of our (and our children’s) orbit today and for the rest of our lives. That means Christ is permanently on the throne of our hearts, unaffected by the changing culture around us.
If Jesus is the center of every orbit of our lives, then — rather than just giving Him the first and smallest portion of our day, a five-minute prayer or one-verse Bible reading — we have to live like it. Make Him central. The difference will be huge … Our entire spiritual orbit will change!
Now, instead of being the smallest token at the start of your day, He shows up everywhere. He’s central to how you interact with your colleagues at work, central to how you talk to your neighbors and central to how you interact with your spouse. And He’ll be central in your kids’ relationships, friend groups, hobbies, social media time and sports practices, and even the internet sites they choose to visit and the things they tend to say and text.
Too much to hope for? I don’t think so. Otherwise God’s Word wouldn’t indicate His centrality time and time again. Like the orbit-changing verses of Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths” (emphasis added). And Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (ESV). While this isn’t a promise, it is a principle — a path that most often results in the previously mentioned outcome. It’s an orbit changer!
If you want your children’s lives to orbit around the Savior, change the atmosphere by changing your orbit first. God desires to help parents who want to raise godly kids — He’s not a hands-off God. All it takes is a choice to change the spiritual orbits of our families.
Dear Jesus, thank You for not being a hands-off God. We know You want us to follow You wholeheartedly, and we pray that You would give us that desire, too. Show us how we can put You on the throne of our hearts in our daily lives. Help us to change our spiritual orbits and so lead the next generation to do so. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
