As we prepare to launch into a new school year, intentional discipleship is at the forefront of our minds. Whether you’ve chosen a Bible curriculum or not, I’ve got 7 simple tips to help you incorporate faith-building into your routine without spending an excessive amount of time, energy, or money!
1: Focus on the Family
It’s easy to hyper-focus on our children or on ourselves, but the truth is, our most effective faith-building comes when we focus on the family.
Whether we want to implement a biblical principle or address a character issue, it is often most effective to work on it together. For example, if you notice your child needs to grow in kindness, talk about how your family values kindness and how you want to grow in kindness together instead of focusing just on your child.
This takes the pressure to perform off them. It also demonstrates how we all need to grow more like Christ every day. None of us are perfect. Our children need to understand that.
2: Keep it Simple
Try not to overcomplicate your faith. Often, the most effective lessons are the simplest. As your children grow, you will naturally go deeper in your activities, reading, studying, and conversations, but always keep your goal simple and tangible. You want them to understand at their own level and be able to explain biblical concepts to others.
3: Build Consistency
Strive for consistency, not perfection. Life happens—to all of us! Try to build routines with flexibility, but work to become more consistent. Go to church regularly. Seek to read the Bible each day, even if just for a few minutes. Any good relationship takes an investment of time to grow. Make it a priority.
4: Make it Fun
When we overemphasize disciplines, we cultivate rituals and routines but miss out on the most important aspect of our faith: relationship building!
We don’t want our children to simply jump through hoops of religion. This is why so many fall from faith when they grow up.
Instead, we want to show them how amazing it feels to build an intimate relationship with Jesus and live a life surrendered to Him. When we infuse fun into our faith, our kids learn to live their life with joy and purpose. Studying the Bible can include art, music, physical activities, cooking, and so much more.
5: Talk About It
Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17). Have conversations from an early age. Ask questions. Instill wonder. Talk about the tough things. Share God’s truth in every situation. Help connect the dots. The more you cultivate conversations when your children are young, the stronger your relationship will be as they grow.
6: Remember: Practical Makes Perfect
To build a faith that lasts, we have to move our faith from the pages of our Bibles to practical application. This requires intentionality on our part.
There are opportunities each day to connect a biblical principle to a real-life situation. We just have to watch for it and turn it into a teachable moment.
For example, if our children are complaining about something, we can share how complaining kept an entire generation of Israelites from the promised land. If they gossip, we can teach about the power of our words and how to avoid gossip. When they are angry, we can teach them how to be angry without sinning.
The more we practice tying our faith into our daily lives, the more natural it becomes.
7: Turn Messy Moments into Memories
Every day we fail. But when we take those difficult moments and allow ourselves to be vulnerable, we strengthen our relationship with our kids.
As we take time each day to make faith-building fun, we create beautiful memories that will last a lifetime. And when our children are filled with those memories, their faith will grow roots that can’t be shaken.
They will have learned more than just religious routines or how to quote scripture. They will have learned to walk out their faith daily in a way that makes a difference in their lives–and the lives of those around them.