Our Relationship with God — the Key Element in Raising Our Children
Author
Jorge Ayllón Navarro
Summary: Raising our children requires love, firm boundaries, and consistency. From an early age, we must teach them what they may and may not do, without giving in to tantrums: let our yes be yes and our no be no. Above all, we should instill in them a love for God through words supported by the example of our lives, because inconsistency between what we say and what we do creates confusion. We must cultivate our own relationship with God daily through prayer and through reading and meditating on his Word, allowing it to confirm or correct our conduct. By walking under the guidance of Jesus Christ, we protect that relationship and sow love for God in children. Although drawing near to God later in life may be more difficult, it is not impossible.
Every terrorist was once a child; and so was every missionary. The difference between the two lies in the influence of their parents.
This influence is both familial and religious, for children clearly need to be educated from the moment they begin to become aware of things and, in their eagerness to know everything around them, this close daily contact with their mother will ensure that this love endures forever above all else. Then comes instruction concerning which things are accessible to the child and which are not, regardless of the tantrums that leave us stunned. Many mothers, in order to resolve the situation, allow the child to get whatever he wants even though they know it is wrong.
Personally, I have a saying: “If it is yes, it is yes. If it is no, it is no.”
By this I mean that there are things the child may have access to and other things that he most definitely may not. And the word NO takes on a definitive, indisputable, and binding character.
Turning now to our relationship with God, if we instill this love for God in our children from childhood—not only through words but also through the example of our lives—we will be nurturing a good Christian, a child who, from an early age and of his own accord, will seek this beautiful relationship with the heavenly Father, for everything he has absorbed since childhood will be of great benefit in his Christian life.
If that closeness was absent during childhood, it will be a little more difficult (but not impossible) for him to absorb it later on. This is why, for many older people who did not have that contact with God as children, it takes a great deal of effort and many hours of dedication for them to gradually absorb the Word of God into their hearts, because the heart is filled with material things that conflict with the Word of God. And since all change is naturally resisted by human beings, the mission of evangelization therefore takes a great deal of time and many hours of dedication, often accompanied by frustration because those hearts have become too materialistic.
Let us not forget one important thing: what we grasp first is what enters through our eyes. Speaking words will be of no use if they contradict what we see. Moreover, this causes confusion in those who see and hear us, and they prefer to walk away from the preaching. Thus, our example in life, our testimony through our lives, is of great importance in shaping the people who observe us, whether children or adults.
Our relationship with God must involve drawing near to our Creator daily through prayer, reading His Word, and meditating on it, in order to see how that reading affects our lives—whether by confirming our attitudes or correcting our conduct. In our daily walk with Jesus Christ, we will refrain from acting improperly, distancing ourselves from everything that could harm that beautiful relationship. Let us always walk guided by His Light and His Word.
Then we will sow love and God in our children.
May God bless us and help us to be good parents.