Helping Your Children Attach To The Vine

In John 15:1-6 Jesus said, "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing". That's an eternal truth I must take to heart if I want to give our children the gift of faith.

To me as a parent, this "vine" reality has two implications. First, I must do what I can to stay connected to Jesus. Only when he lives through me will I have the patience, love, faith, strength, perspective, and understanding I need to raise godly, faithful children. Spiritual fruit in the lives of our children even depends—up to a point—on my staying connected to the Lord.

But the other side of this truth is that eventually my children must attach themselves to the Vine, not to me. I can love my children, nurture, comfort, teach them. I can model for them what life as a "branch" looks like and show them ways to stay "attached." But I cannot be their "vine," and I cannot play the role of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

My children must learn how to walk with the Lord without my help. But they won't be alone. As Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit will be with each of my children every step of the way.

Knowing the limitations of my responsibility as a mother has actually been quite freeing to me. I can be God's agent for cultivating the hearts of my children; in fact, I'm supposed to fill that role. But only God can give them life, strength, and divine guidance.

Read more about this in The Ministry of Motherhood.