Discover 3 Proven Ways: How to Raise Godly Children in a Broken World

Raising Christlike children is these times may seem daunting especially when secular culture seeks to do otherwise.

If you are a new parent like myself or you simply want to prepare yourself for the future. Read on, friend.

Disclaimer: I am no expert but I’ve been learning so much as a new parent, it is a pleasure to share it with you.

Here’s an overview of the ways in which you can Raise Christlike kids.

1. Being more Christlike as parents.
2. Build New habits
3. Go to Church, if you are Catholic- Go to Mass

Being more Christlike as parents

As a parent, it is our job to teach our children how to follow Christ. This means we ought to lead by example.

This doesn’t mean you have to be perfect but fostering an attitude toward getting better each day is important.

Therefore, our primary focus should be building up the spiritual life of ourselves and that of our children so that it forms a solid foundation which allows them to tackle the rigors of everyday life.

What are some ways we can be more Christ Like ?

For this I will use a few of the fruits of the Spirit, as examples.

Love: Being loving involves sacrifice, think about what Christ did for us. He died.
It calls for us to also die to our own selfish desires and live to serve others.

Joy: This is not easy to find, especially during times of frusration. Actually, it is quite difficult BUT if you can search for that one positive outcome out of something bad then it can surely give you joy.
Not to mention, peace.

Peace: A state of mind worthy of maintaining.

St. Therese of Liseaux said ” But above all preserve peace of heart.  This is more valuable than any treasure”

I couldn’t agree more. We must be like armed guards when it comes to protecting our inner peace.

Kindness: Give a little or a lot!
Do you remember that song? Love is something, if you give it away… it comes right back to you.

That comes to mind while I write this.

Love, if directed inward, cannot spread. The surest way to get love is to spread it! Anywhere, everywhere, at every opportunity, and most certainly it will find its way back to you.

Self Control: Mastery of your emotions and desires will take a long time to get right but keep at it—day in and Day out. When life hands us frustrations, we can think of them as tests. For e.g.. Refraining from cursing and allowing your emotions to get the better of you is difficult but can you imagine the day when the effect of a situation that would have caused your blood to boil, no longer triggers a response?
I am sure that will be a great feeling.

Also, I would like you to imagine the benefit to your child when they see you doing all these things.

How much more the fruits of the spirit will be present in their lives?

It makes for a wonderful society.

Building New Habits

There are some habits, which I consider great ones to adopt which centers your day and ultimately your life and that of your children around Christ.

Saying Bless you after sneezing.

This one is simple and I believe this is widely practised already so let’s get it even further.
Recently our 2 year old started saying “Blesh you” after hearing anyone including himself sneeze and it is absolutely the cutest thing. It melts your heart hearing a little baby say those words.
He says it after coughing too and as I was about to correct him, I thought of a G.K. Chesterton quote.

He said “You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.”

He is always giving thanks, no amount is ever enough. Our son teaches us that too after every bless you during flu season.

It helps to keep your focus always on Christ. “He is apart of us and he is closer to us than water is to fish” -St. Catherine of Sienna.
Remember that.

Habits to be more productive on Social Media:
I will list three and you can pick one, two, or all Three!

1. Consider reducing the amount of time you spend on Social Media.
   You can set a timer on your phone which would lock the app after you’ve reached your daily limit.
2. Follow more Christian content and unfollow content that doesnt improve your spiritual life.
3. Listen to more Christian Content.

Some great examples on Youtube are:

• Ascension Presents
• Lila Rose Podcasts
• Pints With Aquinas ( A personal Favourite)
• Bible in a year with Father Mike Schimtz (Perfect for your morning Drive to work )

These are some ways which you can use social media to your advantage in growing closer to GOD.

Going to Mass

God is the giver of life, food, health, shelter and everything we have so we ought to give thanks to him everyday but Sundays are a day of Obligation for us Catholics so we must to Mass.

Why is this so important ?

Being serious about going to Church as parents highlights the importance to our children. If we miss mass, the message it sends to them is that it is okay to do so.

It sets the standard for their lives and affects generations to come, so let’s make it a priority.

Final thoughts

Parenting is hard and just when you think you have things under control, there is a change!

We cope through God’s grace and by becoming Christlike ourselves as parents.
Especially by maintaining our inner PEACE.

So, let us put first things first and by that I mean- Let’s put God first today and everyday.

Thank you so much for reading today.

Things have been hectic here at The Fosters so, we will be having two blog posts each month, that is every 1st and 3rd Saturday.

It is exciting to see this blog grow and I am grateful for all of you who take the time to read these posts.

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If you liked this post about raising Christlike Children, let me know in the comments below! I’d love to hear your thoughts.

’til Next Time,

Abby