Helping Faith Take Root: How to Shepherd Your Child’s New Relationship With God
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”—Colossians 2:6-7 (ESV)
I remember the day my youngest said he wanted to trust Jesus. We sat together on the couch and reviewed the simple truths he already knew (after many discipline sessions!): God is holy, we are sinners, Jesus died to pay the penalty for his sin. He didn’t stay in the grave but rose gain to life—and to give that new life to us. We had gone over this many times, but somehow he was ready now. By God’s grace, the Spirit opened his eyes to understand—and I had the privilege of seeing him become a believer.
However, this isn’t the finish line, but one step in the journey. I appreciate how the Engel scale depicts the moment of conversion as one step, not the final step we take in our journey of faith. The Spirit continues His work, moving from conviction to transformation—and as parents, we play a role in this as well. Let’s look at what God is doing and then how we come alongside to serve our kids in this stage of their growth.
Alive in Christ: A New Creation Begins
Ephesians 2:1-5 tells us God makes us alive with Christ at the moment of salvation. It is at this point spiritually dead people become new creations (2 Cor. 5:17). God reconciles us to Himself, and we are made holy through the blood of Christ. As we are made holy, we become a temple fit for the Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
This amazing spiritual change is what gives us a new motivation to live godly lives of obedience. Out of our love for God’s redemptive work in us, we want to mold our ways to become more like Christ, to do what He did.
We ourselves know this is a lifelong process of living out what is spiritually true. What is true for us is also true for our kids. We will need to continue teaching, modeling, and yes—training through discipline so that our children become more like Christ. Usually, this change happens one degree at a time (2 Cor. 3:18) until God finishes the work at the end of our lives (Phil. 1:6).
Our special privilege as parents is to walk through each of our children’s life stages with them, helping them to understand Scripture at increasingly deeper levels as they mature, so they can apply its truth to the challenges and struggles they face at each season of their growth.
With this in mind, let’s look at three areas to establish with our children as they begin walking in faith.
Nurturing New Life
One of our first tasks is helping our children understand what it means to be new creations in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). As children, they now can approach God as their Father, knowing He welcomes their requests, listens to their heartaches in lament, and receives their praise and thanks in worship. Forgiveness, repentance, and obedience can now be framed in light of that relationship, not merely as a reminder that they cannot obey Him by their own strength.
There are also new promises that our children can hold on to as believers. These help them to find hope in the challenging times and help when they feel tempted. Discouraging moments are opportunities to help them learn to walk in faith and trust. Doubts can be honestly verbalized before Him, knowing He want to help them through their questions.
Cultivating New Habits
As children of God, we want to also help them to personally grow in the grace and knowledge of their Lord and Savior (2 Peter 3:18). There is so much to learn about Him, and we have enjoyed doing so as a family, singing hymns, memorizing a simple catechism, or understanding worldview. A few of our favorites are below in the Resources section.
Besides having family devotional times, I also began to help my children have their own times with God. This can begin when they can read and write. I’ve found age-appropriate devotionals and Bible studies for my children to work through, along with a Bible that is at their reading level. Along with a simple composition notebook, I have started them off by helping them copy down verses they read or drawing pictures of things they want to remember, if they’re not able to write.
These have been sweet times with my children. In one season, my older son and I would wake up early to do this together side by side. It has been my joy to see my older children still keep this habit.
Connecting With New Family
Lastly, our children’s conversion deepens how they relate to the local church. Though it is fun to see friends, helping them understand that Sundays are a priority for us because God wants us to not forsake meeting together (Heb. 10:24-25). It’s not just an obligatory stop we make before the rest of the day unfolds.
Despite the many online options, there is a special joy as we gather together with His people to sing, learn together, or build relationships. We like to try to keep our Sundays free from a lot of commitments and when possible, connect with others after services. Inviting another family to potluck lunch helped us share the load and kept it affordable. The time for informal conversation has served to help us connect with others in our church family.
Learning to serve is another part of being a part of the church family. Young children can begin through helping as greeters, setting up chairs or fellowship snacks, or cleaning afterwards. These are not ways to earn their salvation, but a way to contribute to the good of the local body. Later, my children helped with childcare, facilitating Bible studies, or developing their gifts on behalf of the church.
What’s Something You Can Do?
Helping a child express faith is a precious privilege—but it’s only the beginning. It’s the beginning of a new season of discipleship.
If your child is a believer, consider one area to strengthen this week. Do they need strengthening in one of the three areas mentioned in this post? Choose one to focus on and find ways to begin developing it with your child.
May the Lord strengthen your child’s young faith, steady your own heart, and root your family more deeply in Christ, who faithfully grows what He begins.
Resources:
Long Story Short and Old Story New by Marty Machowski: family devotionals through the Old Testament and New Testament, respectively, good for elementary-aged kids.
New City Catechism: 52 Questions for Our Hearts and Minds by The Gospel Coalition and Redeemer Presbyterian Church, introduction by Kathy Keller
Apologia Worldview series by David Webb and John Hay: This is a 4-volume Christian worldview series we used with our elementary age kids in our homeschool.
