Building A Legacy Of Faith In Your ChildrenSample

God’s Blueprint

The idea of passing on one’s faith can be intimidating, and the realization that a child’s view of God comes from what he or she receives (and perceives) at home makes most parents cringe. Frankly, there have been times in our own lives when that reality has been downright terrifying.

When faced with the task of passing on their faith, parents tend to respond in one of five ways. They



(1)become paralyzed, so they ignore it and do nothing;



(2)overcompensate and do more than needed;



(3)select a book, give it to their child, and hope he or she figures it out;



(4)delegate the task to someone else, and hope it works out for the best; or



(5)understand the vital role parents have in the life of their child and strategically pass on faith to him or her

What if we told you that the blueprints for passing on faith have already been designed? God gave it to us in the Bible, and He provides very specific instructions on how to leave a spiritual legacy.

The rest of this reading plan will teach you how to take God’s blueprint for passing on faith and build a strategic plan for infusing faith into every year of your child’s life.

Pretty exciting, isn’t it? As we said in Day 1, it’s both simple and challenging.

Many biblical scholars regard Deuteronomy—and chapter 6 in particular—as the thesis statement of the entire Old Testament. Even today it is understood as the purpose and plan of the Hebrew people. It has been that way since the days of Moses. This blueprint is known as the Shema, meaning “to listen” in Hebrew. It is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9.

There is a three-point purpose in these words:



(1)Faithfulness and fidelity (loyalty) to God (Deut. 6:4-5)



(2)Transmission of faith and love to children (Deut. 6:6-7)



(3)Constant mindfulness of the teachings and presence of God (Deut. 6:8-9)

These three points are the road map to passing on faith. Your family commits to living a life of loyalty to God. You love Him with everything you have and with all your strength (Deut. 6:4-5). As you live out your faith to the best of your ability, you impress faith upon the hearts of your children (Deut. 6:6-7). Finally, you bring the presence of God into the lives of your kids by allowing the presence of God to be integral to your everyday activities (Deut. 6:8-9).

We are to be proactive and intentional about our faith, which is why celebrating rites of passage becomes a vital part of the parenting process.