Becoming a Good Christian Parent

Being a parent isn’t easy. Do you wonder if being a Christian parent has made it any easier? Although we didn’t go to church while I was growing up in a small rural community, church was too far away and my mom didn’t drive…and oh, my dad wasn’t exactly a church-goer (remember Mr. Walton), I would say we were raised Christian.

My mother was the model of a good Christian parent. Raised, Roman Catholic, in a large Irish family, she was a woman filled with faith and so much more. As a Christian parent she shared her faith in little and big ways with me and my sisters, and now brothers as her and dad extended the family, in the midst of me getting married and moving away; and the last of three girls reading to leave the nest.

What made her a good Christian parent, especially since before she got a license to drive she was unable to bring us up in a church? I’ve learned formal churches aren’t necessary for spiritual growth. Think about all the countries where people are just learning about God, sometimes under persecution.

God says wherever one or more come together in His name, well, we were always together. Here are some of the ways to become a good Christian parent, even if you are not currently a member of a church, you are in the body of Christ if you have accepted him as your Lord and Savior.

A good Christian parent…

Prays. Yes, we pray and pray and pray. We pray in silence, we pray out loud, sometimes we even try to pray alone. And always, a good Christian parent shares a prayer time with their children everyday, even when they don’t know the words, they learn fast. You’ll find as they grow, children turn to prayer in times of stress and need.

Has Faith. A good Christian parent is faithful. How else will we make it through the stressors in life? Apply it to the little things so it is there when the big things pop up. Learn how to stretch that faith and set an example to the little ones. When they see how strong you are during hard times it only makes them stronger.

Loves. A good Christian parent loves her family. She will love the good, the bad, and the extremely messy. Teach your children that you can’t live life without love.

I remember about faith, love and prayer. It runs deep in my heart because my mother taught me so. What made your parent a good Christian parent? Do you think you make a difference in your child’s life through Christian parenting?

Photo: Paul Robinson