I don’t think it’s much of a secret that us Fagans are church-goers and that we believe in Jesus Christ.  We’re Mormons and we know it, we live it, and we love it.

As religiously passionate people, my husband and I of course like instilling values in our kids about faith, about God.

In our home, we try to make faith and belief part of our every day life, not just a thing we do on Sundays, or only at certain times.

How we are instilling values in our kids {Faith in Jesus Christ}

• Go to church every Sunday (for three hours)
• Pray over every meal
• Read from the Bible (Old Testament currently) every morning at breakfast as a family
• Read from the Book of Mormon Stories book at bedtime as a family
• Have family prayers at bedtime
• Say prayers before long road trips
• Give and are given priesthood blessings for healing and otherwise
• Have pictures of Jesus hanging up on our walls
• Invite the missionaries over for dinner and listen to their message
• Have individual prayers and scripture study (parents)
• Host weekly Family Home Evening Lessons (when we’re on top of it)
• Sing church songs and hymns
• Play church music on the computer (Mormon Tabernacle Choir among others)
• Go to church activities
• Give service to others
• Go to the temple
• Have pictures of temples hanging on the wall

When we read scriptures, we try to stop and explain important words and ideas.  We explain what faith is, what sins are, what repent means, and what is going on in the story.  We let our kids ask questions, and try hard to keep our answers short and simple, so they can understand.  Sometimes, I think it’s good to be reminded of the simplest answer.  We tell them the importance of the things we do.

How the instilling values in our kids is working out so far:

My daughters love talking about Jesus Christ! Lisa will often ask to watch videos on the computer about Jesus.  So, I’ll pull up the Mormon Channel on Youtube, and play a Bible video featuring Jesus Christ’s life and ministry from the New Testament.  I sometimes wonder how much they gleam from them, as the language can difficult, and parables too complicated for them to fully understand.  I also wonder if I should or shouldn’t let them watch people being cruel to Jesus Christ, crucifying him.  But, I know that understanding the atonement of Jesus Christ and what that means is THE most important thing to know about Jesus Christ.  It shows his devotion and love for us.  It the heart of Christendom.

When my daughters play pretend, they will often get upon a stool or pile up some diaper boxes, and start preaching, pretending they are prophets of God, and that they are speaking by the Spirit of God.  I’m not always sure what they are preaching about, but they are adamant and zealous in their delivery.

My daughter Lisa is especially sensitive to things of faith.  One morning she woke up coughing and Josh asked if she wanted a priesthood blessing before he left for the day. She said she did. She sat in his lap and had her dad’s hands placed on her head and had a special prayer said on her behalf. After Josh had left, Lisa realized that she wasn’t coughing anymore and said, “Jesus healed me!”

The other day, as we were traveling in the car, Lisa was asking me about being baptized and what happens after you are baptized.  Lisa is pretty obsessed with being baptized someday, when she is eight years old.  So, this is a common topic for her to talk to us about.  I told her about sins being washed away, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and becoming a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It was then that I told her about Joseph Smith and his vision in which he saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Lisa then asked me to say a prayer for Jesus. So, I did. I said a prayer for Jesus, and I had no idea what to ask for for Jesus.  It was the first time in my life that I ever prayed for Jesus Christ.

Have you ever prayed for Jesus?  What did you ask him to be blessed with? A nice day? That he’ll be happy? I honestly didn’t know what to say! And after my little prayer was over, she asked me if I could see Jesus now (like Joseph Smith did). To which I had to say no. I think she asked me to pray again.  I think she too wanted to see Jesus.

I love the little teaching moments that arise when my daughters ask questions, as we talk about Jesus Christ, who he was, what he did, and why we should follow Him.  One of the reasons I love being home with my children is these moments.  I love teaching my children these things.  I love that we’re setting righteous examples for them about prayer, scripture study, and service.  I want them to love Jesus Christ and to have faith in Him.  When instilling values in our kids, the greatest value to be instilled is faith in Jesus Christ.

How have you worked to instill the value of faith into your children?

More Posts about Instilling Values in Kids:

• Instilling Values in Our Kids: Introduction
• Instilling Gratitude and Thankfulness
• Instilling Faith in Jesus Christ
• Instilling Kindness – #TackyBoxKindness
• Instilling the Value of Service
• Instilling the Value of Humor
• Teaching Children the Importance of Work
• Have Your Child Plan Their Own Birthday Party
• The Importance of Agency and Making Good Choices
• Honesty and Stealing – Butterfingers and Sticky Fingers
• Developing Girl’s Positive Self-Esteem
• Cleaning up {Life’s} Messes

Be sure to Follow My Instilling Values in Our Children Pinterest Board for even more great posts!