Raising Faithful Kids

No role in society is more important than that of a parent. You can't get the role by chance only by choice and then it comes with no "how to" manual. The joys are incredible. The potential pitfalls are deep. Success is a must. We defined faithful kids as young adults who are living on their own making life choices that honor Jesus Christ. I'm sure anyone and everyone could argue for some additional things. I was just trying to get to the core.

I asked at the beginning of the message for what people thought were the enemies seeking to keep kids from being faithful and parents from helping make that happen: tv, music, drugs, sex, alcohol, peers, time/schedules to name a few. Those are definitely enemies of faithfulness.

Stephanie and I were talking last night about kids and parenting and our youth group growing up and people we met up with years later. There have always been enemies to faithfulness, even in church-going kids. One young lady we met years after graduating from College was in the same youth group. I didn't know her due to the size of the group (nearly 200 each week). As we talked she told me stories and I was shocked. I'm naive. I'm innocent of so many things that really go on around me.

She told me of coming to youth group, signing in and going out another door to meet others - making out, smoking, sex in the bushes (ouch!). And at retreats - retreats where I remember growing spiritually and really making strides forward in faith - she told of propositions and more "stuff" going on in the woods. WOW! "Are you sure we were in the same youth group?" I asked.

The statistics are horrific. Sexual activity in teens who attend church is no different than those who do not. I've not seen other stats but I would have to assume from that stat that drinking and drug use are about the same. Raising faithful kids in todays world is tough. It's always been tough, just different enemies generation to generation.

Is it parents who are too busy to keep up with their kids?
Is it parents who don't care?
Is it parents who are selfish and self-centered, concerned more about image?
Is it kids who have too much free time?
Is it access to information like the Internet?
Is it the freedom of a car and the resources to do things?
Is it student ministry that provides a fun, safe place for kids and is satisfied with that while not realizing it innoculates teens to the truth of the Gospel? Go to church, be involved and then do whatever you want.

It could be all of those things - and more.

Life choices that honor Jesus. That's the core of it. There's no magic formula to teach it. There's no guarantee from God, only a promise. If we lay out the right path - if we display faithfulness in ourselves - our kids will catch it and even if they stray from the faith the promise is they will remember and then need to choose. We pray they choose the straight and narrow path. We pray.