Growing in Favor With Others: Teaching Love and Faithfulness

There is a version of Christian parenting that is so focused on shielding children from the world that it forgets to prepare them to live in it. The Shema does not call us to raise children who are sequestered from people — it calls us to raise children whose faith is so well-rooted that they can walk into any room and reflect the character of God. That includes the simple, powerful practices of loving people well and keeping their word.

Jesus grew in favor with man. That means people — ordinary, fallen, complicated people — responded well to him before his ministry even began. And when we look at how he treated people throughout his life, the pattern is remarkably simple: he took them seriously, he told them the truth, and he followed through on what he said. Love and faithfulness. These are not complicated concepts. But they require a home where they are modeled consistently, especially in the relationship between parent and child.

One of the most formative things a parent can do is to take their children's interests genuinely seriously — not to pretend enthusiasm, but to actually enter into what matters to them. And one of the most powerful things a parent can model is repentance — being willing to say to a child, "I was wrong, and I am sorry." These acts communicate, more than any sermon, that love and faithfulness are not just ideals. They are a way of life. And children who receive them tend, over time, to give them.

Reflect:
In what areas of your relationship with your children are love and faithfulness most visible? Where are they most lacking? What would it look like to close that gap this week?

Pray:
Father, help me to raise children who love people well and keep their word — not because they are trying to earn approval, but because they have been loved by You and have learned that love from their home. Make our family a place where steadfast love and faithfulness are not just preached but practiced. Amen.

Memory Verse:
And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
--- Luke 2:52