Considering Faith @ Home

I was surprised at how young my firstborn son was when he started to ask questions about faith, and not necessarily easy questions. It is easy to feel like you are scrambling for words when trying to explain the Trinity to a three-year-old. It was with some trepidation that I made plans to attend the Faith@Home seminar on November 7th. I attended because I want to take every opportunity to be equipped to help my children to have a real, life-changing, and vibrant faith in Jesus Christ, and not simply to have good, Biblical morals. I was somewhat apprehensive that the seminar would shine a spotlight on my parental fumbles in this area. Thankfully, I came away from the evening feeling encouraged, and with some practical new ideas on how to include discussions about faith in our everyday lives as a family. 

 The main presenter, Robyn Dueck, and her husband, Ray Dueck, provided a good reminder with scriptural references to how cherished and valued children are to Jesus, and that they are not merely real people in waiting. Children are able to understand the things of God, and the gospels make a point of relaying stories of Jesus’ interactions with children. 

 It was enlightening to hear ideas from other parents in the brainstorming session about how to use opportunities in different everyday activities to prompt discussions about faith. Even bath time, oft thought of by parents as the most challenging leg of the bedtime routine, can lend itself to teachable moments. Also of particular interest to me was information from the presenters on gentle discipline, and how to engage your family in acts of service together. 

 It is sometimes tempting to relegate the responsibility of my children’s spiritual education to the church for fear of doing it wrong, but this seminar helped to encourage me to seize more opportunities everyday for my children to learn about the most important thing in life, a relationship with Jesus, from two of the most important people in their lives: their parents.