Sis. Elizabeth Kyle and Sis. Karen King raised their children to serve God and continue steadfast in His truth. In this article, they explain tried and true methods to raise kids that stay in church.
When they cheat in school we made them apologize to the teacher… and class.
We didn’t fight their battles. We made them stand on their own two feet…
He said/she said… don’t get involved in drama and gossip.
When her friends betrayed her, we took her out and treated her like a princess!
Where do I even start?
As a mother of young children, I pray that I raise them in a way that lends itself to continuing to serve God as adults. However, In the back of my mind there is always that “what if?”
I know I’m not alone in this…
There’s no better way to check my mothering methods than to line them up with mentors who have successfully raised God fearing and servant minded people. One of which, I am blessed to be married to. He is a wonderful man (with a wonderful mother)!
The following is a double interview that answers some of life’s MOST DIFFICULT questions when it comes to raising children… ENJOY!
— Sis. Elizabeth Kyle
“I think the bottom line is what they see in you…they will love. If you love God and the church, they will love God and the church.”
Question 1: When your children were young, what were some things you never compromised on?
Sis. Kyle’s Response:
We never gave our children the option to stay out of church…
It didn’t matter if they had homework to complete or not. Even if they didn’t feel well, they came with. I did not compromise on Sunday school, youth, or young adult events. If it was going on, they were there! They did not stay home just because they didn’t want to go.
YOU are a part of the church, get them involved to keep them in church.
We never compromised on discipline. It was decided between my husband and I and then executed. We did not let them play “mom against dad.”
When we made a decision, it stood!
Sis. King’s Response:
We never let them compromoise our church and church activities. We never compromised our faith and our belief in one God.
Holding fast to Biblical truths is the underlying and fundimental culture of our family.
We never compromised on time that we spent with each other as a family. Family time was a core value that we held to as a family unit. Still today!
Question 2: What Scriptures or Biblical principles did you rely on or use while raising your kids?
Sis. Kyle’s Response:
Proverbs 22:6- Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Matthew 6:33- But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Love your children, have fun, let them make mistakes, and let them fight their own battles.
Pastor Kyle is a great teacher, however if any of my children were having a squabble with another child, we let them figure it out!
We did not get in the middle of it. Now being a mom, the momma bear would come out and I would want to go to the parent and blah, blah, bah.
But, you cannot. Doing so only makes arguments between the adults and the kids get over it and become best friends before you know it.
Let them be children! There will be a time to grow up soon enough. Our children still want to come to our bed at night and sit and just talk over situations. Precious memories!
Sis. King’s Response:
Galatians 5:19-16 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Ephesians 4:5- One Lord, one faith, one baptism
Matthew 5:3-11 – Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Question 3: What did you find most challenging about raising church kids?
Sis. Kyle’s Response:
Just keeping them on the right track. Their friends would invite them to go out to places they knew they were not to go. They would ask knowing the answer would be no.
It is challenging to trust your children to make the right decision…
Making sure they knew that we loved them unconditionally and praying for them was also a challenge.
Sis. King’s Response:
At times it was a challenge to balance world views VRS. church views. I taught my children that worldly opinions of others do not matter. They simply don’t weigh in comparison to wholesome church values.
Attitudes…definitely a challenge.
Question 4: What activities or opportunities did you allow your children to participate in? Which ones did you NOT allow?
Sis. Kyle’s Response:
With my first born, parenting was all new to me. We did not allow too many sports with him. But as the other children came along, we allowed sports…. so long as they stayed modest and did not miss church because of them.
Hannah participated in drama, Luke and Joel played football, soccer, and ran track. We didn’t allow them to compromise modestly for the sake of sports and made any necessary adjustments to maintain holliness.
Sis. King’s Response:
We allowed our children to participate in sports and school activities as long as they didn’t comprimise our values or get in the way of church activities.
They were never allowed them to attend parties or anything that we felt would harm or compromise their faith. We always encouraged them to bring there friends to meet us and spend time with us at our home.
Question 5: What advice would you give to mothers of young children who want their kids to always live for the Lord?
Sis. Kyle’s Response:
Instill in them a love for the Lord. Let them see you enjoy living for God. Let them see that this is the only way to live in joy and peace, to live without guild and shame.
Don’t just be a pew warmer… become a part of the church. Let them see you go the altar, pray for someone, and teach home Bible studies.
Do not stay home on a whim. Children are smarter than you think. They know if you have genuine love for something or not.
Never talk about the church or people of the church in front of them. If you disagree, keep it to yourself.
Love your children, but make sure you set up boundaries that they are not to cross. They want to know that you care and will not let them get away with everything.
Sis. King’s Response:
Raise and teach them while they are little. Start teaching them word from the Bible and biblical principles while they are young.
I had often heard that a child learns more in their first six years of life than any other time. Use this time! Time goes faster than you think. You have a short window to teach them!
Be faithful, be consistant to your church and be available. Show your children how to be available to do the work of God. Be a servant by example. They will see you and want to follow in your footsteps.
Wow! What great advice!
I am honored to have recorded some words of wisdom from two beautiful women who served God in the way that they raised their children.
It wasn’t always easy, but their unwavering faith aided in their children’s lives and fostered a love for serving the Lord.
I don’t know about you, but I took some things to heart here and I’m ready to apply them to my life as a mother.
Remember, we lead by example and little feet follow in our steps. I pray that you are strengthened today by these beautiful testimonies of mother’s who raised children that stayed true to God and in the church!
Read some of my other articles about mothering:
Mind Over Matter and What it Means to be a Devoted Mother
5 Daily Activites that will Help You do the Stuff that Really Matters
The Power of Your Words and How They Can Make or Break Your Family
God bless!
Being a mom & running a small business can be challenging... 