Blessings of Growing Up in a Christian Home
| Overview | A Christian home does not happen by accident; it takes time, sacrifice, and planning, but its blessings are eternal. |
Several years ago, a young Christian woman made a life-changing decision: she resolved that her husband would be a Gospel preacher. She found and married that preacher, and today this family has two sons with faithful wives, four faithful grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. That young woman was my grandmother!
I was raised in a Christian home and I thank God for the blessings of that home every day. But regardless of how we grew up, a Christian home is now something that we must all strive to create for the future. A Christian home certainly does not happen by accident; it takes time, sacrifice, and purposeful decision making. But like all of God’s plans for us, when we choose to do things His way, the sacrifice today is infinitely worth the blessings He gives in eternity.
What makes God’s design for the Christian home so special?
1. The Blessing of Love
God designed the Christian home so that we can understand how much He loves us. When a Christian father and mother love their children, they offer them a glimpse of how much God loves them. The love that comes from Christian parents is exactly like the love of God; it’s a love that does. Christian parents make sacrifices to place their children’s needs above their own. I have watched my parents do it for 19 years.
2. The Blessing of Trust
From birth, my parents demanded respect and obedience. There was no question who was in charge at our house—and that was a wonderful thing. I quickly learned that if I would follow their rules, they always turned out to be in my best interest. I know I can trust my parents with everything.
3. The Blessing of a Church Family
One of the greatest gifts my parents ever gave me was when they brought me to worship at just five days old. From then on, our family has been present at every available worship service during the week. It was just the expectation in our home, and it taught me how important worshiping God is. My parents also made sure our family was involved with every activity of the local church. That involvement blessed me with some of the best friends and closest extended family I could ever have.
4. The Blessing of Knowing Jesus
Not only did my family bring me to the church where I could learn about Jesus, but they also made Jesus a regular and welcome Guest in our home. Every night, my parents read me a Bible story and sang Bible songs as I went to sleep. We talked about God. We prayed together daily. The same was always true at my grandparent’s house. When I started thinking about becoming a Christian, my parents were the ones I went to talk to. My daddy was the one who baptized me into Christ. My relationship with Jesus Christ is thanks to a foundation laid by my parents.
A Christian family is not just special; it is life-changing! The blessings of love, trust, a church family, and ultimately getting to have a relationship with God are all wonderful blessings that flow from it; and a powerful thing is just how great the impact of a Christian family can be. When a young Christian couple makes the choice to build a Christian home (just like my grandparents did), God will change so many lives because of it—both those who grow up in that family and those who are touched by it, and the results will only truly be known in eternity.
Copyright © 2018 by www.ebglobal.org. Originally published in Christian Family, 3[1]:12.