It’s never too early to start pointing your baby to Jesus. God’s greatest gift to your baby is Jesus, but His next greatest gift is you! You are the one that gets the amazing opportunity to introduce your baby to Jesus and there’s absolutely no reason to wait. Here are five ways to point your baby to Jesus, and as you read, enjoy a few pics of my sweet babies.
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1. Cultivate Independence
You might think that this is something that needs to happen when your kids are teenagers, but it’s a really important concept to understand when they’re babies too. From the moment that cord is snipped, the struggle toward independence begins. If your goal is to point your kid to Jesus, cultivating independence the right way should be one of your top priorities. Why? In just a few short years, when all the things you’ve taught him start clicking into place, he’ll be faced with the decision of following Jesus or not. He’ll need to be ready to make that decision for himself because a genuine decision to follow Jesus is not a decision you can make for him. And once he’s chosen to follow Jesus, the independence you’ve cultivated in him will allow him to take any steps that God calls him to take.
When your baby is small, one of your first goals will be to teach him to self-soothe. The first battle that most parents face is the battle for sleep! Teaching your baby to self-soothe will lead to much better sleep for all of you, but it also teaches him to calm himself, which is a step toward independence. You’ll progress into other phases as you teach him to eat Cheerios all on his own. And it won’t be long before he’ll take his first baby steps, which is actually a giant step toward independence. Remember that each of these milestones is an opportunity for you to cultivate the independence that your baby will need in order to take those big steps toward Jesus one day.
2. Establish Routines
Most babies tend to thrive on routines, but establishing a routine will show your baby the importance of setting up good routines later in life as well. You might think that the monotonous motions of “bottle, bath, book, bed” every night are just to get your child settled, but this kind of routine helps her to understand that there are patterns and rhythms in life. As an adult, she’ll appreciate the importance of the routines you taught her as she practices daily disciplines of prayer and Scripture reading. There’s no better time to start than when your child is a baby!
Now is also a great time to establish the routine of going to church. Your baby will thrive with the love poured out by a godly church family. Church attendance is a weekly routine that can be incredibly difficult to establish if you wait until your child is older. It’s a really good idea to start attending church services and activities regularly, using nursery services as they are available. This allows your baby to learn to trust other people to meet their needs in an environment that points her to Jesus.
Read more on 5 Routines to Build a Strong Home!
3. Require Obedience
One of your baby’s first words will undoubtedly be “No!” followed shortly by “Mine!” These are your baby’s efforts to assert his will and independence. This is a good thing! Now is the time to train your baby to obey because one day he will be faced with the chance to obey the Lord. It may be kind of cute to see that sassy attitude now, but defiance won’t look so cute later and disobedience certainly won’t cultivate a strong relationship with the Lord. So take the time now to teach your baby to obey.
As you teach your baby to obey, keep in mind that you’re doing more than just teaching your baby to obey you. Every time you sing the “clean-up” song, every time you take their little hand in yours to guide him to make the right choice, you are teaching him the importance of obedience. It’s a skill he’ll need for years to come as he learns to say, “Yes, Lord” and follow Him in obedience.
4. Allow Mistakes
Allowing your baby to make mistakes will likely go against every instinct you have within you! But what better time to teach your child how to make a mistake than while under your protection? When your baby takes her first steps and then stumbles to the ground, your natural inclination will probably be to reach out and catch her before she falls. When your toddler drops her favorite toy, you’ll probably be tempted to pick it up for her. But allowing your baby to make mistakes is an important step in teaching her about her #1 problem in life: sin.
The Bible says that we are all born with a sin nature. As much as we hate to believe it, our babies are not basically good. They’re sinners just like you and me. No one has to teach her how to sin; sin will come naturally. So you have an incredible opportunity to allow your baby to make mistakes, which will set her up to understand her sin and her need for a Savior. When your baby hits, bites, or kicks another person, you can lovingly correct her mistakes and tell her about Jesus, who came to save us all.
5. Model Intimacy
Babies spend so much time watching and learning. They’re constantly watching what’s going on around them and picking up on verbal and non-verbal cues. Will your baby see you spending time with your Bible open in your lap or with your phone in your hand? Can your baby see your head bowed in prayer? Does your baby hear you singing worship songs? There’s no better time than now to model intimacy with the Lord for your baby to see.
Modeling intimacy with the Lord is such a crucial practice if you want your child to understand that God desires a relationship with him. Keep in mind that a relationship with God is so much more than church attendance or just being a good person. God desires intimacy with his children, and your baby is His child! You have the privilege of modeling that intimacy for your baby from the beginning. His first memories can include a mom or a dad that spent time with the Lord in intimate relationship, and this will set him up for a beautiful relationship of his own with the Lord.
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