March 8, 2022
We grew up having maybe a bit too much religion. Some of us would even say it was shoved down our throats. The last thing we want to do is do that to our kids, but how do we do God with them?
I was afraid of doing too much and inadvertently deprived my kids of knowing the love of Jesus. Is that what we want? Absolutely not.
Today we are talking about sharing Jesus with our kids and a simple way to know the love of Jesus.
Listen to the Podcast
Top Resources to help you Rock The Christian Life as an Exmo
Hearing from God is just one area that you may be struggling with now after leaving the church, but you are not alone on this journey. I compiled all of my favorite apps, videos, books, music all sorts of things that have helped me on this journey and put them into a resource library for you. Click below for access to it all. So fun!
Okay, you are afraid of too much religion in your kids’ life. We are going to talk about my favorite thing for both you, as a new believer, and for your kids, but first, let’s talk.
Too much Jesus?
You want them to know Jesus, but you feel like you want them to never hate going to church. You don’t want them silently questioning everything, feeling like they don’t live up to God’s standards, or the crushing pressure that you felt to believe in something.
I felt this way.
I was so scared that I would push my kids away from God as I had, by getting way too much.
But there is one big, huge difference that makes all the difference with it- Jesus is real. His love is real. His grace is real. He is amazing and the way, the truth, the light.
He changes us from the inside out. He is the prince of peace, wonderful counselor, the king of kings, the great I am.
He makes us whole, gives us direction and builds us up, and defines our purpose.
He is our compass and our direction. His steadfast love is nothing like we will ever know anywhere else in this world.
A New Way to Know God?
Now again, do we not want our kids to have that?
We have to be careful that our experience does not deprive our kids of all of the amazingness of God, otherwise, we are doing exactly what we had- being deprived of God’s love.
It would be the same junk in a different package.
And I’m not judging. I did this. I didn’t do enough with my kids for years. I made all the mistakes, operating out of my own bias, my own experience.
I pray that this episode encourages you differently.
Can you have too Much Jesus in your kids life?
No, you can not have too much Jesus in your kids’ life. You can have too much man-made rules. You can make your kids afraid of rules and know about what man says God is without knowing the real Jesus. That is what we had.
But you can’t have too much of the real Jesus.
The real Jesus, when we are transformed is in every piece of our lives because there is nothing better. Don’t we want that for our kids? To know how loved they are?
When I realized that by running from my past I had deprived my kids of knowing how loved they were, I had deprived them of knowing they were wonderfully and fearfully made, well, we had to make some big changes.
It still bothers me, but God is so good and it has been so unbelievable to see Him work in their lives. He has done big things and He keeps doing big things.
Don’t be afraid to pray with your kids, talk about Jesus’s love for them, and get silly while dancing to worship music with them. Let them know their purpose in this world is to know God and make Him known and that loving each other is the most important thing you can do.
A Simple way to know the love of Jesus.
And this is my favorite way to introduce Jesus and let your kids start getting to know Him. I say it over and over with all of you ladies, but it is just as important with our kids. Read the Bible.
Read the Bible.
Let them see you read the Bible, and read it with them.
Here are a few ways to make that happen.
- The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name. This is great! Read it with them. Heck, read it yourself. I don’t know about you, but I was very confused for a long time as to what books were part of the Bible and what books were part of the Mormon doctrine. Is Moses in the Bible? It will help you as much as then, and this Bible is wonderful. It’s colorful and all about Jesus in every story.
- The Bible project- an amazing way to experience the stories of the Bible, the Bible project on YouTube or it’s own website are super creative, artistic short videos telling the story of the Bible, a unified story all pointing to Jesus. They are fun, truthfilled and inspirational videos evryone in the whole family will love!
- The YouVersion Bible App- The verse of the Day. Maybe for kiddos a bit older. My daughter and I everyday of her 6th grade year dod the verse of the day. It gives you a verse, a short video from someone in ministry explaining why they love the verse, a short devotional relating to the verse, a way you can implement it in your life, and a prayer. I particularly loved breaking out our paper bible, practicing finding the passages (sometimes racing eachother) and reading the whole chapter where the verse was located to understandin it in context. I still love doing this with my kids when we have off from school. One of my favorite things.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12
Key Take-aways
We cannot deprive our kids of the amazing love of Jesus. Just because we had too much religion does not mean that by giving our kids the chance to know our Lord that we are doing the same thing. It is so important for us to introduce our kids and give them the chance to know how loved they are.
The best way to do this is the same as it is for us- introduce them to the Bible and encourage them to read His word. Make it fun! Read the Jesus storybook Bible, watch the bible project, and use the YouVersion Bible app. This is just the start. Let your kids see you reading His word, talk about Hime, and help these beautiful kiddos to know how loved they are by our creator.
Resources
Here is a video by the Bible Project-
In the resource library, you will find a link to a ministry that offers courses to help you speak to those still in the church. Truth in Love Ministry Courses are going to feel a bit like review for some of you, but they will remind you how you once felt in the church and how to help those still there. Check it out in the link below.
Top Resources to help you Rock the Christian Life as an Exmo
I also want you to have all the best videos, articles, podcasts, communities- all sorts of cool things to help with moving forward.
The biggest thing- I want you to trust the bible and I know as an ex-Mormon this could be a struggle, so please head over and watch some of these cool videos on just how amazingly awesome and trustworthy the Bible really is.
I will continue to add to the library with things I find that will help you. Videos, articles, all the cool stuff to help you learn to pray, find truth and gain trust in the Lord.
“…for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love…”
Jonah 4:2
Next Steps…
Find Community…
- Join the Christian Women After Religion Community
Let’s share! Share your creative, God-led story, heal from the old religious junk and make friends while we do it. Support, friendship, and collaboration at the FB group — Here
