The Most Important Thing You Will Ever Teach Your Child

As homeschooling parents, we teach our children many things over the course of their schooling careers. Parents, in general, have the opportunity to impart into the little minds and hearts all sorts of knowledge; this is because we have been the ones chosen by God to parent them. What an awesome responsibility and privilege to direct a little soul through his formative years!! Have you ever sat down and asked yourself, “What should I teach him?” or “What should I focus on today?” or “What does he need most at this stage of his life?”? We spend so much time trying to figure out curriculum and make sure there are no “gaps” in their education. But do we put the same amount of effort and interest in their spiritual life?

There are many little moments throughout the years that are opportunities to teach our child snippets of God’s message for us. When put together into a complete picture and understood and embraced by our child, it is the most important lesson they will ever learn. Here it is in a nutshell:

The Gospel

The whole Bible is true. Psalm 119:160 “Thy Word is true from the beginning: and every one of Thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.”

We are each created for God’s pleasure. Revelation 4:11 “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.”

God loves each person individually. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

We are each sinners with no hope within ourselves. Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Because of our sin, we cannot have access to God. Without intervention, we face eternal death and a place in the lake of fire. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Jesus Christ came to die in our place and pay the penalty for our sins. Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

We cannot earn our way to heaven or into God’s good favor. We can only gain these things by God’s grace and provision in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

In order to accept God’s free gift, we must repent of our sins and put our faith in Jesus to save us. Romans 2:4 “Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” Romans 10:9-10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

In other words, we must be born again. John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'”

Once we do this from an honest heart, we can never lose that salvation. John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” ~JESUS

Thoughts and Quotations on Shepherding

In the Bible the illustration of a shepherd and his sheep is used at different times. One reason for this is because of the agrarian lifestyle of that day. People were familiar with and could relate to the life of a shepherd. Of course, Jesus is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11). But we, as parents, are shepherds for our child, helping him “understand himself and the world in which he lives.” We are to help our child understand what he is doing in different situations and also why he does it. We all do foolish, and even evil, things because we have sinful hearts. What comes out of us in our behavior shows what is inside our heart. (Luke 6:45)

“This shepherding process… involves investing your life in your child in open and honest communication that unfolds the meaning and purpose of life.” We need to look for opportunities to direct our child to a Biblical viewpoint and understanding. This takes time and patience, which I admit I don’t always do well. “Parenting is shepherding the heart of your children in the ways of God’s wisdom.”

If we focus on having the most talented child, or the most well-behaved child, or the best-educated child, we fall short of teaching them the most important thing. Some of these goals may not be all bad, but we need to prioritize what is our highest goal, which should be what is most important to God. “The central focus of parenting is the Gospel.”

Just the Beginning

While seeing your child embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the most important thing you will ever do, it is just the beginning. When a person accepts Jesus as his personal Savior, he is just beginning a lifelong relationship with the God of this universe. What better person to guide a child along this path than his parent?! We need to help our children see the importance of knowing Jesus Christ in a personal way, experiencing the power of His resurrection, and even sharing in the fellowship of His sufferings. (Philippians 3:10)

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

I first mentioned this important passage of Scripture (Deut. 6:6-7) in another blog article addressing the reasons my husband and I chose to homeschool. In this passage of the Bible, we parents are commanded by God to teach Scriptural truths to our children at different times and during different situations throughout our day. First, we have to have the Word of God in our heart. That involves reading the Bible, memorizing it, and listening to it being spoken of and preached. (This is a huge benefit for not just our child, but also ourselves!!) Do you have a regular time every day that you sit down and read your Bible? Do you have an intentional method that you are using to memorize Scripture throughout your day or week? Is church attendance a regular part of your family’s life? Going to church should not be an obligation or simply a habit; finding a church that teaches the Bible and getting involved there should be a big part of your life!

Next, we are to talk about it when we are sitting in our house. This means through the course of our day, we talk about what we are learning. (As homeschooling parents we have many more hours each day in which to interact with our children!) It may include bringing up specific Scriptures when we are correcting our children for their disobedience. Praising the Lord for who He is and what He has done for us would also be a godly example to our children.

Acting as God’s Representative

It is humbling to know that we are raising our children by God’s command and as His representative. We have a responsibility to put aside our flesh and seek God’s wisdom to do this to the best of our ability. I do not bring this topic up because I am an expert at this; I am depending on the Lord to help me be better at it all the time. I pray that this article will have challenged you in your parenting and reminded you of where the central focus should be.

**Thoughts and Quotations on Shepherding are taken from the book, Shepherding a Child’s Heart, a great parenting resource. (When you buy through this link, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.)