7 Things The Bible Says About Parenting
Raising kids is tough, even in the best of circumstances.
Raising kids is tough, even in the best of circumstances. Real-world parents — who also happen to be staff members at YouVersion — share how they apply principles from God’s Word to this important aspect of their lives.
We hung this verse in our son’s room before we brought him home from the hospital, and we see it every night as we tuck him in. It’s a great reminder of the calling and responsibility that God has placed on us as his parents.
As parents, we have the primary responsibility of building the foundation of faith for our children. Whether we like it or not, we are painting a picture of faith for our children every day. Every word, every action, and every reaction is a brushstroke. Painting a perfect picture can feel daunting to live out in the day-to-day life of parenting. Whether you are in the middle of sleepless nights with a baby, surviving the challenges of potty training, managing homework and school activities, or turning over the car keys, parenting is a tough job. We must remember that God doesn’t expect us to do this on our own — He loves our children more than we ever could!
Here are two simple ways to point your kids to God.
1. Pray with and for your kids. Every day. To build a foundation of faith for your children, consistent prayer is essential. Pray with and for your kids. Every day. Never stop praying for your kids. Don’t allow their current circumstances to overshadow God’s power. Even if your child is currently running away from God, He is always just a prayer away from them. Prayer can change everything.
2. Don’t do it alone. They say raising kids takes a village. You need people in your life to help point your kids in the right direction. Attend church as a family. Serve in church as a family. Join a small group filled with people you can lean on through the seasons of parenting. We all need community, and it’s crucial for you and your children to have strong, faith-based relationships.
It is never too late to start investing in the faith of your children. It is also never too early to get started. Set the trajectory of faith for your children and start pointing them toward God now.
Todd Dobberstein
YouVersion Product Manager
It was June 2010, and my wife and I were about to have our first child. We were having dinner with my dad, so I decided to ask for some wisdom. I asked my dad to give me the best parenting advice he had from his decades of parenting.
He thought for a minute, and then gave me an analogy I’ll never forget. My dad said that parenting was like a scale — not like the one you weigh yourself on in the bathroom, but like the one you see as a symbol of justice. On one side you have love; on the other you have discipline. Applying either one too often without the other is harmful for your child.
My dad went on to explain that the more love you show to your child, the more they will accept your discipline. And, when you apply more discipline to them, you also need to let them know how much you love them. Too much love without discipline can make a child spoiled, and too much discipline without love can damage a child emotionally and drive them away.
Ever since that night, I’ve often thought about the correlation between correction and love. I believe that parents often feel bad when they discipline their children. It’s definitely not fun to do. It’s hard, but it’s good. So my encouragement to you is to apply appropriate levels of discipline to your child so that they will know you love them and care about them.
Just as we love our kids and need to discipline them, our Heavenly Father loves His children and will discipline them. If you have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, then God is your Father. You have been adopted into His family.
Brad Belyeu
YouVersion Engineer
I’m the youngest of two daughters in my family, so my childhood was filled with dolls having tea parties, cooking in our play kitchen, and playing dress-up — all rather calm, well-mannered, and safe activities. Now, as a mother myself with two boys under the age of five, my house looks and sounds nothing like my own childhood. Praying for my children has become a necessary part of my motherhood journey, mainly because of my boys’ energy. As my mother-in-law warned me about life with all boys, I will eventually get to know the nurses at the ER on a first-name basis!
I don’t think I ever would have imagined that just a few years into this adventure I would have already seen my oldest fall on his face (ultimately leading to a root canal) and then, just a year later, fall on his head (resulting in three staples). I also never could have imagined my 10-month-old baby undergoing surgery for a condition he was born with. Each situation has been completely out of my control. There was nothing I could have done to prevent any of those things from happening — a realization which brought me to my knees in prayer for my children.
As a parent, our children are gifts from God to provide for, protect, show the love and grace of Jesus, and prepare for their own journey through life. Neither their daily circumstances nor the overall course of their lives are things we get to decide — or have any control over. And so what do we as parents have left to do at the end of the day, when we’ve poured every ounce of energy into raising kind, respectful, God-honoring children and keeping them healthy and safe? We can take our worries, our doubts, and our unfulfilled expectations to God — grateful that we do not have to be in control.
May we never tire of praying for our children and holding them with open hands through trust and faith in our Creator — who loves our children more than we ever possibly could and is holding them in His all-powerful hands.
Lisa Gray
YouVersion Localization Manager
Parenting is tough, plain and simple. It’s easy for us to fondly reminisce about our kids growing up — how small they used to be and how cute they were, but it is much harder to remember what a blessing they are on a random Tuesday evening when they’re screaming in the corner, or when we’re changing what seems like the thousandth diaper for the day!
But, through the parental stress, 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 can help us see clearly and have fresh perspective through these crazy times.
Always Be Joyful
Don’t despair in those tough moments. Remember that being a parent is a noble and worthy calling, a privilege that God has given us, and one that we will see the fruits of someday, even if it doesn’t feel like it today. Embrace the fact that God gave us this honor.
Never Stop Praying
There is nothing our kids need more than the presence of Christ in their lives. Therefore, the most important thing we can do as parents is to bathe our children in prayer. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to be persistent in prayer throughout the day — even when it feels like everything is spinning around us.
Be Thankful
Being thankful for our kids is easy some days and much harder on others. But on those hard days, remember that you are not alone. When you feel like you’re running on empty, that’s one of the best times to come to God in prayer. Ask Him to renew your joy, and thank Him for your children. He can and will give you the strength, joy, and gratitude you need. And if we learn to lean on God in the tough days of parenting, we can’t help but be thankful for our kids!
Casey Case
YouVersion Support Leader
We all want well-behaved kids, right? Sometimes, what we mean by that is we want our kids to seem well-behaved to others. It might mean no tantrums or horseplay, or it could mean saying “please” and “thank you” at appropriate times. Now that my kids are getting older, I’ve started to wonder if the work I’ve done to make them shine on the outside is making them better on the inside.
In two short years, my oldest daughter will leave for college. I hate to admit it, but I won’t be there to make sure she’s doing everything right. So, I’m doing whatever I can now to make sure she hears my voice in her head later, during those times when she’s struggling to do the right thing. Better still, what if it’s God’s voice she hears? Because He will always be there — even when I can’t be.
The best way to make sure our kids recognize God’s voice is to teach them His Word, but simply reciting it to them — or even teaching them to recite it — won’t be enough. If you want to see your kids transformed by the power of God’s Word, then they need to see it working in you — truly affecting the course of your life and the decisions you make daily. Talk about it around the table. Bring it up in the car. Casually drop it into conversations with others. Help your children see clearly how God’s voice and His Word affect every area of your life.
At the same time, help your kids experience the Bible for themselves by taking on the role of coach. It’s important that they learn to read the Bible and listen to the Holy Spirit on their own. Help them pick out a Bible Plan, and then follow up with questions. Here are a few suggestions of things you could say to start the conversation:
- What’s the best thing you’ve read in the Bible this week?
- Have you read anything you didn’t understand?
- Is there something you read that you want to know more about?
- What’s God telling you through what you’ve been reading?
- What’s one thing you can change in your life as a result of what you’ve read?
As parents, we’re working alongside the Holy Spirit to teach our kids about God and His kingdom. Trust Him to complete their inner transformation. He loves them more than we ever will.
Michael Martin
YouVersion Web Developer
I was in labor for 60 hours. 60 long, painful, and anxious hours. Some women complain about how long they labored, and others wear that length like a badge of honor. I’d say I’m more the latter because I’m proud of every exhausting moment.
But the pride I felt immediately disappeared the moment my son began crying in the middle of the night, just hours after he was born. “What does this cry mean? Is he hungry? How do I know how much he gets? Does he need something else? Where’s the nurse?!?”
Meeting my son brought me unexplainable gratitude for the gift of his life. But, almost right behind that unsurpassed feeling of gratitude, there came waves of doubt, fear, and incompetence. As a brand-new mom, I felt ill-prepared and unequipped to tackle parenthood.
Truth be told, that feeling hasn’t really disappeared since then. But I fully trust that what the Bible says is true:
If you need wisdom ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. James 1:5
God showed me a new level of His generosity with the gift of a child, and the newness of the season positioned me to humbly ask God for wisdom. He has been so faithful to guide my parenting with His wisdom any time I go to Him with a teachable and surrendered spirit.
I hope you know the resource you have in Christ. He wants to continue pouring His generosity over you in the ways that you parent. He wants — more than you do — for your child to know Him, love Him, serve Him, and be guided by Him. He is wise and generous, and He is so ready to lavish both on you. Are you ready to embrace them?
Go to our generous God and ask for wisdom as you navigate the challenges of parenting. He’s ready to give it to you.
Jessica Penick
YouVersion Content Manager
Several years ago, we stepped into God’s calling to grow our family through foster care and adoption. We knew it would be hard, but we were ready to be the hands and feet of Jesus to families in their time of need. We were ready to change the world. What we didn’t realize was how much God would change our world.
People often tell us how special we are for doing this. But let me tell you a secret: foster parents aren’t special. We are broken; we mess up; we yell, and we definitely don’t have it all together. We are simply people walking in faith and diving into the mess. What is special, however, is what God does when we are obedient.
We have seen God show up time after time in the last few years as a foster family, moving more mountains than we ever remember Him doing before. When we thought there was no hope for relationship with a child’s biological family, God showed up. When we had to say goodbye to some of the kids we’ve fostered, God showed up. When we thought we might not make it another day, God showed up.
This journey has also helped us understand more clearly how God sees us. Just as we welcome children who are hurting into our home, God has welcomed us into his family. He is our Heavenly Father and our defender. He doesn’t care what our problems are, the sins we’ve committed, or where we fall short. If we come to Him, He embraces us like a father, loves us unconditionally, and calls us His daughters and sons.
If you feel inadequate, if you feel like you’re facing impossible circumstances, or even if you’re just not sure what you should do next, I’d encourage you to seek God and jump in. People might think you’re crazy. In fact, I can guarantee they will. But I can also guarantee this: God is already pursuing you. And He has a plan for your life that’s beyond anything you can imagine today.
Taylor Ketron
YouVersion Administrator
Did you enjoy this Plan? See more YouVersion original content here!
