Help Your Child Connect to God and His Word—6 Easy Steps

Morgan Farr has four children. She homeschools them and teaches them the Word and ways of God. In this Parenting UPGRADE, she explains how she helps connect her children to God, and how the Lord used a simple question to help her examine her own heart.

"Kids ask the craziest questions," Morgan says. "As a mom, answering these questions can be a challenge."

Yes, I (Dawn) remember those questions so long ago from my two sons. Sometimes they made me dig for answers, and sometimes, their questions were either convicting to me personally, or they made me pondering some aspect of parenting. Morgan's story reminded me of one of those questions.

Morgan continues . . .

Recently my oldest son—who just turned seven—asked me what God was like.

At first, I was confused by his question. I started to say that no one knows what God really looks like.

Clearly not happy with my answer, my son tried again. He asked, when I “do my God time” in the morning, what is God like?

Explaining God to a child is an incredible thing.

When you know Christ as your Savior, it is almost overwhelming to explain what God has done for you. The only way I could explain what God is like was to say that God is pure love.

Sitting and thinking about that had such a profound impact on my heart.

I want to share how to help a child connect to God and His Word—to develop a heart for God—in Six Easy Steps by sharing how I explained God’s character to my seven-year-old. 

1. Set the Stage

If you are raising children with an understanding of Christianity, then they likely know about creation and the serpent.

It is our job to help our kids to connect the Bible to their lives.

I explained that we are broken sinners, separated from God (Isaiah 59:2). I talked about the sins that I struggle with, and explained that each person struggles with sin because of the fall.

2. Tell the Truth

We cannot get back to God on our own.

Telling children the truth about our separation from God helps them understand the significance. 

Romans 3:23 tells us we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

While we do not want to shame children, helping them understand the magnitude of salvation starts with understanding of how powerless we are without Christ.

3. A Planned Provision

In his incredible mercy, God sent His only Son to die for our sins (John 3:16).

I explained to my son that God loved us enough to provide a way back to Him. This way back was not cheap or easy. In fact, it came at the cost of His Son’s life.

God loved us enough to make that sacrifice on our behalf.

What a miracle that is!

4. Secure in Salvation

Once we have accepted Christ and turned our lives over to Him, sin no longer defines us.

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

We are forgiven, washed in Christ’s sacrifice.

It is crucial when telling children about salvation that we explain that sin will still happen, because of the fall. The important thing is that Christ washes us clean, allowing us to be with God.

5. Grow for God

When we understand the magnitude of Christ’s death on the cross and the gift that God gives us each day, we cannot help wanting to know more.

2 Peter 3:18 tells us to:

“...grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever!”

This incredible, loving gift is then the catalyst for growth in our faith.

6. Live the Life

Once a person understands sin, the separation, the gift, and the growth, the final step is to live the life God calls us to.

God has different jobs and callings for each one of us. He equips us for these callings uniquely.

Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”

It is important to take what we have been given by God and turn around and use it for His glory.

Finally, I explained to my son that the way I see God’s love is in the way that He draws us to Him. 

• The choice to get up and spend time in the Word is a way of living the life that God called me to.
• Homeschooling, teaching my children about Jesus, and loving my husband are all ways that I live the life God called me to.

The life God called me to is an example of His incredible love for me. I spend time with God because as I look back through my life I can see God’s incredible love for me.

I want to honor Him with my life and my service.

Adults can easily fall into the drudgery of everyday work. It can be hard to see how we are glorifying God when we are scrubbing toilets or whipping noses.

But, looking back at each of the steps, I realized that God was loving me each and every step of the way.

I want to help my children connect to God—and it is incredible to me that God used a question from my seven-year-old to remind me of the importance of honoring God with my labors. And He reminded me to turn my heart to Him.

What an incredible God we serve!

Which of the six steps speaks most to your heart? Which can you use today to help your child connect to God and His Word?

Morgan Farr is a Texas-loving, succulent-cultivating, book nerd and aspiring author. Stationed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this Army wife is learning to train dogs, develop her four young children, and tackle homeschool life—all while moving all over the country. Morgan believes in integrity, authenticity, and grit. Although she writes for many different publications, you can almost always find Morgan’s most recent ramblings on her blog, "Musings by Morgan."

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Marina Abrosimova t Pexels.