God’s plan for transforming our lives, and the lives of our kids, is the renewing of our minds according to truth, so that we can be conformed to the image of Christ.
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)
The starting point is salvation. But whether or not our children have yet come to Christ, it’s our job to protect their hearts by guarding their minds.
But as much as we desire to renew their minds with truth, the world is actively working to renew them in the opposite direction. We could call this reverse discipleship. The good news is that when we know what we’re up against, we can be ready.
Here are three of the biggest reverse-discipleship threats to watch for:
1. Smartphones and screens
Kids are getting access to screens at younger ages with fewer and fewer guardrails. For Christian parents seeking to raise lifelong Jesus followers, this is something to take very seriously. We wouldn’t hand a child a loaded gun before they were old enough and properly trained. How much more should we care about their mental and spiritual well-being? (I’ve yet to meet an adult who said, “I really wish my parents had given me unlimited internet access sooner.”) My encouragement is to wait until your child is 15 or 16 before giving them a phone, and until then, keep other screen time limited and monitored. It’s not popular, but it’s wise.
2. Friends
If it’s true that you become the average of the five people you spend the most time with, then friendships matters a great deal for our kids. Inputs equal outputs. So get to know your kids’ friends, and don’t feel guilty about asking questions before they join a team, go to someone’s house, or gain access to communicate with others online. You’re not being nosy. You’re being a good shepherd.
“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” (Proverbs 13:20)
3. Culture and media
The world is very good at using stories to shape what people believe. For every truth God has made clear in His Word, there’s a competing story waiting to be told to our kids. It rarely comes as an argument. It comes as a story, because stories reach the heart before the head, and the one who tells the best story often wins the debate.
Whether the topic is gender, the importance of the family, or the value of human life, an alternative story is being told to our kids again and again that contradicts God’s truth. That’s why we want to be telling a better one from Scripture.
Protecting our children’s minds means guarding the door to their hearts. We get to be the most important voice in their lives, and if we don’t disciple our kids, someone else will. If you’re not the clearest, loudest, most intentional voice in your child’s life, today is a great day to start.
Left to themselves, conformity happens naturally. Transformation never does.
Nobody has ever had to water a weed. But transformation is absolutely possible, especially when it’s nurtured daily by a parent who cares.
So this week, ask yourself: Who is doing the most talking into my child’s life right now? Then make sure it’s you, with Jesus at the center of it all.
You’ve got this, and you’re not alone.
