As I think of what is most important about training your children, I can’t help but think that shaping their hearts is the most important thing a parent could do.

Why is this so important?

REMINDER FROM LAST WEEK’S POST: The only way we can shape our child’s heart is if we are learning the truth of God right alongside them. The main way we do that is through our own relationship with God and studying His word. Our relationship has to be active. We have to continue to seek the Lord each day so that He can teach us and then we can teach our children.

Because what is in our hearts comes from what we think; what we believe. And what we think/believe determines what we say, what we do and who we become. So as we teach our children the right way to think, we are shaping their hearts.

It begins with what they think about God

The most important thing about any human being is what they believe about God. God is THE REALITY of this world and every thing else falls into place under Him (Colossians 1:16-18).

So it seems a natural conclusion that from the very beginning of raising our children, we need to be teaching them the truth about God. He is the truth and therefore the only way to real life (John 14:6).

If we want them to have true love, joy and peace in their lives… if we want them to love God with their whole heart ( Matthew 22:37-38)… then there is no other way than to teach them who God is, what He thinks of them, and what He thinks about everything else in the world.

Examples from my own parenting journey

I started out teaching my children about God when they were very young. Here are some examples:

When we would see beautiful trees or other nature, I would tell the kids that God made what they were seeing.
I would also tell them all the different ways that God loves them.
I would teach them what He thinks of them when they obey or disobey, or when they are playing or working.

It is important that we ALWAYS make the truth of God personal to our kids. This will help them to see God as personal, and to know His thoughts, which reveals His heart.

I would also tell my children what God thought of the people that they saw on the street, or what he thought about their sister or their friends. In doing this, our children begin to develop a world view… the real world view, from God’s perspective.

Getting to your child’s heart means shaping their thoughts.

In teaching them God’s thoughts, you are giving your children a great advantage. They are learning to think like God and eventually, live as God would have them.

Our job as Christian parents is to teach our children truth so that they will come to believe truth. As they grow, they will know truth, speak truth, and live truth!

Guide your children in how to think and you will be guiding their hearts. Guide them to God, who is Truth, and that Truth will set them free!

John 8:32
“…and you will know the truth,
and the truth will set you free.”