Develop a God-Worldview in Your Kids

Develop a God-Worldview in Your Kids

Did you know you have a worldview? Did you know you are passing your worldview on to your children? Most parents want their kids to learn how to be kind and to love others. We want them to be respectful and to respectfully engage with people, even people who think differently, live in different cultures, and see the world differently than we see it. Does that mean we want our children to embrace all worldviews and amalgamate them into a hodgepodge of beliefs and perspectives in our own lives? The answer is no.

A worldview is the lens created by beliefs, attitudes, values, stories, and expectations that shapes and colors our perspective of the world around us. It informs our every thought and action. A worldview becomes the perspective that influences and guides the application of our beliefs and behavior in the circumstances of our lives. It is the hue that colors every aspect of our ethics, religion, philosophy, and scientific beliefs.

As a believer, you are responsible to develop a “God-worldview” in your children. The Bible is very clear that individuals and families committed to God must protect this worldview. How do we invest a God-worldview in our children? There are four pillars needed to support the God-worldview we seek to impart through our parenting efforts.

 1. A Partnership with God

The first pillar that supports a God-worldview is the recognition that God is present, active, and at work in all the circumstances of our lives. We must realize that no parents are perfect, and we aren’t expected to be perfect, either. Our best efforts will fall short sometimes. That is why parenting was always intended to be a partnership with God.

2. An Understanding of the Principle of Transference

The simple truth of this second pillar is you can only transfer to someone else what you have and practice yourself. We must contend through personal spiritual disciplines and faith to build an intimate and vibrant relationship with God for ourselves. That effort is what gives us the experience and authority to mold, shape, and impart guidance to our children for their own relationships with God.

3. Spiritual Sight

Spiritual sight goes beyond our natural sight to see and recognizes things that our natural sight might miss. We need to develop sensitivity to be able to separate the results of life in a fallen world and the results of attacks and warfare in the spiritual realm. In difficult circumstances, we need to ask and answer the question, Is what I am going through God’s work of teaching, redirecting, telling me to pause, or discipline? Hebrews 5:14 tells us that it is by practice that our senses are trained to differentiate between good and evil. This ability to discern is part of our development on the road to spiritual maturity.

4. Neutrality

If we are completely honest, we have an opinion about the desired outcome for issues that impact our lives. Sometimes this opinion leads to a perspective that does not reflect God’s heart. We must first come to a neutral place by being honest about our desires before God. He is a good Father, and He knows how to give good gifts to His children (Luke 11:13). As we learn this for ourselves, we can teach our kids to do more than think good thoughts and be nice people, even though those are noble things. We are teaching our kids to align their desires with God’s desires as they learn to hear His voice and obey His direction.

Do you have a God-worldview, or has your worldview been compromised by other influences? Do you need to shore up one or more of the supporting pillars so that your worldview is strong, stable, and able to support God’s revelation and guidance? Learn more on how to help your children apply a God-worldview to the circumstances and thinking of their lives in He Still Speaks to Kids by Wayne Drain and Tom Lane. Read the full chapter and purchase your copy at this link.
 
Copyright © 2022 by E. Wayne Drain and Tom Lane


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