Five Ways to Encourage Kids to Do Big Things for God

If you are a parent, you know how your children rely on you for everything! Especially us moms. I saw a post on Facebook that summed it up perfectly:

My kids will walk right past their father sitting on the couch, and come bang on the shower door for me to open their fruit snack.

Right? Right. Sigh…..

But, as busy as our lives are, there’s so much joy in parenting these amazing little people. They teach us every day. They are little mirrors. And, the things they learn and say and do, can take us off guard sometimes.

Our kids inspire us to be better. They cause conviction to stir up within us with their wild and bold questions about God, life, and the universe.

In the Bible, Paul expressed to Timothy, a younger man in the faith,

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. — 1 Timothy 4:12

God specifically commands young people to be leaders. Young people are to seek God’s instruction and let the world watch them grow in their spiritual walk with the Lord.

Five ways we can encourage the youth of today to do big things for God:

Give them the opportunity

Sometimes our children don’t realize their potential because they aren’t given the opportunity. They aren’t pushed out of their comfort zones.

A few weeks ago, our middle child Carson was chosen to help out with a special needs class at his school. At first he was nervous and very cautious. He reluctantly went, but kept his distance from the children. Then, something powerful happened. He fell in love with the kids. He said, “They really aren’t any different than me, Mom.”

He got a huge smile on his face this morning and said he was so excited. He was going to help out with Mrs. Cook’ s class again.

“Mommy, in gym class they have to go around cones in a race, and I cheer for my team. There’s one girl that gets so excited that she raises her hands above her head like she’s on a rollercoaster. ”

There’s nothing I love hearing more about my children. That’s God’s perfect work in my child’s heart. All of that is due to him being given the opportunity to serve! I’d like thank our children’s school and administration for encouraging this!

Tell them they can do it!

Sometimes all our children need to hear is that they can do it — that it is possible and we believe in them! Tell them that God created them to serve Him and have an impact on the lives of others, for His glory!

In the heart-warming story One Small Donkey, it tells of a special, unlikely donkey, who carries the mother of Jesus. He’s not the fastest or the strongest animal, but he had a very important job! Adults and children will be inspired about how God has BIG plans for little ones.

Encourage them to listen to God above their peers

Our children will witness their friends and even family members making poor choices in life. They need to know that they can and should listen to God and follow Jesus’ example above the example of others. They don’t need to follow the pattern and sin of the world. God knows best! He is wise and amazing and powerful. We can have a strong impact instilling this in our children over and over.

Share stories about other little ones who did big things

David and Goliath, Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife, Daniel and his friends in the fiery furnace, the young boy who shared his lunch. There are so many wonderful examples of godly behavior in His Word! Watch and listen for examples in your everyday life. Point out to your children and praise others when they make wise choices and impact their community for God.

Be real and authentic Christian parents in your home

No matter how old our children are, we can encourage them to place their lives in God’s hands and allow Him to do a work in their hearts. God wants our kids’ hearts because that’s where He begins His amazing work in our children.

Don’t be hypocritical. We must show that we care about what God says in His Word by the way we live each day. If our children see us spewing out garbage and hatred, they won’t see God’s supernatural power at work. They are looking to us as their biggest, tangible example of God’s love and His kindness.

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What do you think?

God, the creator of the world, recognizes the value of our youth today. Young people are full of courage, vision, and dreams. They are daring and energetic! Don’t stunt that in them! As parents, we can harness it, but we must never silence it. This may be the greatest asset they have that will spark in them great growth and great things for God’s glory!

What do you think? Do you believe little ones can do big things for God? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!