Teaching kids about Jesus when you're not a perfect example

2w ago·1 min read

Been thinking about this a lot lately. I want to raise my kids to love Jesus and follow Him but I'm constantly falling short. I lose my temper with them sometimes, I'm not patient like I should be, and I know they see my flaws. How do you model faith when you're struggling? I don't want to be a hypocrite telling them to be kind and then yelling at them for spilling juice. Any advice on walking the walk instead of just talking the talk?

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Comments(5)

PPhil B.Regular2w ago

Man, this hits home. I lose my patience too, but my kids see me trying to do better and apologizing when I mess up. That's the real lesson. You're doing better than you think.

RRyanNew Dad2w ago

The fact that you're even thinking about this means you're the right person to be teaching them. Nobody's perfect, but showing your kids that you're trying and that you fail sometimes is actually huge.

MMarkRegular2w ago

Real question though - does it matter? Like, I want my kids to know about faith and God but I'm out here struggling too. I figure if I'm living it the best I can and teaching them what I know, that's what counts.

KKyleNew Dad2w ago

This has been on my mind a lot too. I've made mistakes, broken promises, lost my temper. But I think kids need to see that we're trying and that faith is something we're all working on together, not something we have to be perfect about first. My kids know I mess up and I'm trying to do better.

PPedroRegular2w ago

I think being honest with your kids about your own struggles might actually be more powerful than pretending you're perfect. They see through that anyway. I just tell mine that following Jesus is hard and we all fall short, but we keep trying.