Renewal Voice
The foundation of Christian life is faith. It is faith in Jesus Christ. All individuals who have been baptized and become members of the Church are obligated to live and proclaim the Christian faith. Each of us as Christians should not be nominal believers, but should live the faith. This faith is something that influences a person’s way of thinking, lifestyle, and spirituality.
In faith training, the family is the first school for every child and the first teachers are their parents. A child’s faith life is first formed in the family. The family is the breeding ground of Christian life. The family is the first spiritual home of children. Hebrews 11:1 says: ‘Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.’ For children, the role of their parents is very crucial in growing and being guided in this faith. Their parents are very important in the lives of children. Parents play a major role in shaping their beliefs and values. Children need their parents to become spiritual role models. A child first acquires faith and devotion to God from his parents. Parents need to be role models for their children in matters such as prayer, Bible reading, spiritual practices, and a life of dependence on God. They should be living examples of Christ.
Parents need to pay attention to some things in creating a good faith foundation for their children. Raising children is not just a physical process, but also includes many mental, emotional, and spiritual things. Parents have an indispensable role in the faith training of their children. Their parents are the first teachers of their children. They are the ones who look up to their parents and imitate them. When parents live in a spiritual spirit, spiritual awareness also develops in their children. Therefore, it is the responsibility of parents to instill healthy spiritual habits in their children. Parents should instill in their children a habit of reading the Bible every day without fail and a habit of praying personally. Such habits need to be established in children under the leadership of parents. Our society is changing rapidly. New technologies and ideas are influencing children a lot. In this situation, faith knowledge will help children to recognize right from wrong, make good decisions, and face crises. Faith helps them to gain inner strength and peace. Therefore, giving faith training to children is a very essential thing.
Parents can intervene in the faith training of their children at many levels. First of all, parents should be able to be a good role model in the faith training of their children. Children grow up by observing their parents. They give more importance to actions than to words. Therefore, how parents live in faith is a great lesson for children. Parents need to be an example for their children in matters of prayer, sacramental life, spiritual devotional practices, and doing good deeds. Children learn from watching their parents’ lives with devotion to God. At the same time, it is essential for parents to practice faith themselves in preparation for raising their children spiritually. Parents should pay attention to living closer to God, studying faith lessons, and participating in church meetings and spiritual gatherings as much as possible. If parents live a good faith life, it will also influence their children in a positive way.
Secondly, parents should pay attention to explaining faith matters to their children in a simple way. We should help our children to understand their faith and clarify their beliefs and truths through stories and examples. Parents should be prepared to answer their children’s questions about faith with patience and love. We should help them to grow in their faith without dismissing their doubts. We should help our children to develop friendships with people of faith. They should be able to talk openly about their doubts about faith. We should give them the opportunity to do so.
Thirdly, family prayers held in families help to develop the faith of our children. Praying together helps to strengthen the bond of faith. We should start from a young age
