Instilling the Fruit of the Spirit in Your Children – Part 1

KAYLA WRIGHT
Licensed Christian Counselor
Specialist in Child & Adolescent Therapy
Life Training Christian Counseling

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. -Galatians 5:22-23

Galatians 5:22-23

Part of our lives as Christians is choosing to die to our flesh and to live in the spirit, being renewed daily in Christ. This transformation is not something that starts at birth, but begins when we have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior and repented of our sins. As we teach our children the fruits of the Spirit and plant these truths in their hearts, we teach them how to pursue the heart of Christ.

Love

First Corinthians 13:4-7 shares some characteristics of love, some of which are additional fruits of the spirit. Something to note here is that the love we are referring to is not just a feeling, but an action. Love takes an intentional choice to be patient, kind, selfless, humble, honoring of  others, slow to anger, and full of grace and joy. “It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Cor 13:7). It’s putting our neighbor equal to ourselves, and in that also extending the same love to ourselves. It’s praying for those who make us unbelievably angry and hurt. First Corinthians 13:8 reminds us that love never fails, and in that we remember God’s never-ending love for us. Teaching your child how to love starts with sharing with them the love of their Heavenly Father.

Joy

Joy is different from happiness. Happiness is based on circumstances that are ever changing, while joy is dependent on the consistent goodness of God, which is a part of who He is. The author of Psalm 94 speaks of this when he says in verse 19, “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” We rejoice in WHO the Lord is, in His presence that is always with us. Teach your children to find God in nature, praising him for his beautiful creation, for “the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of their hands” (Psalms 19:1). Teach your children to find God in themselves, as “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Gen 1:27). When they are able to see God all around them and inside of them, they will always have a reason to praise God, and they will have joy that lasts.

Peace

Our peace comes from trust in the Lord. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” When something unsettling happens, we have the choice to worry over things we have little to no control over, or to bring our worries before the Father who has control over all things, knows all things, and wants what is best for us. Your faith comes in when we trust the Lord to be who He says He is and do what He says He’ll do. If this troubles you, know that it is not the size of your faith that matters, but the power of our God.

 “Jesus replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey.”

Luke 17:6 NIV

Patience

If you asked my husband, he would tell you patience is not one of my strengths. I like for things to happen the second I want them to, and most often this is not possible. I must die to my flesh to live in this fruit of patience. Ecclesiastes 7:8 says, “The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.” When I desire MY timing over God’s, I am assuming I know better than Him, and in turn am walking in pride. I must humble myself. He is Creator and I am created. I must place Him on the throne of my life, and once again trust that His ways are higher than mine (Isaiah 55:8-9). Resting in this assurance I can hold fast to patience, and we must teach our children to do so.

We know that none of these things are possible on our own, but as the Holy Spirit continues to renew our spirit, we will lead our children in these fruits and closer to the heart of Christ.

To be continued…

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Kayla Wright joined the counseling team at Life Training Christian Counseling in May of this year. She is nationally licensed as a Christian Counselor by the National Christian Counselors Association, with an advanced board certification in Child & Adolescent Therapy. Kayla gained extensive experience and credibility in providing counseling to teens and pre-teens during her tenure on the staff of Revive Christian Counseling in Owensboro and Madisonville, Kentucky.

Kayla, as well as each of our other counselors, offers convenient sessions at our office in Louisville, Kentucky, as well as online counseling via Zoom or FaceTime. Please click on this link to learn much more about how our COUNSELING FOR TEENS & PRE-TEENS in Louisville, Kentucky can help the child you love find the highly-effective, Christ-centered help they need. Contact us today at 502-717-5433, or by email at kayla@lifetrainingcounseling.org