One of the foundational truths we have the joy of teaching our children is that the God who created and loves them is their heavenly Father. Helping them know the beautiful character of God is the first step to raising kids who love him for life. Kids may have a hard time understanding this connection, especially depending on the relationship they have with their earthly father. We, as adults, can also have a tough time developing a positive view of our heavenly Father if we had a hard relationship with our dad or if we grew up being taught that God is (only) a God of judgement and consequence.
In his book, The Explicit Gospel
The reality is that all God has to do is reveal himself to you, and you’ll gladly join the mission in service to his kingdom. He doesn’t force the issue; he just has to reveal himself as is: mighty, wondrous, gracious, loving and radically saving.
In the book of John, chapter 15, Jesus tells us that his Father God is the Gardener. He tends and prunes and provides all that we need to stay connected to Jesus and grow. This Gardener of our lives is our caretaker, cultivating our relationship with the vine so that we can bear good fruit. The Gardener has so many beautiful facets of his being that kids need to understand in order to surrender their lives to his care.
It can take a lifetime to come to terms with the vastness of God’s nature but we can ensure our kids are rooted in relationship with their Father God by teaching them about his character.
5 Attributes of God to Help Kids Get to Know the Father
Teach kids the character of their heavenly Father, starting with these five attributes of God. Use the following verses and talking points to get the conversation going.
God is Good.
Prepare: Let’s talk about God’s goodness. Put away distractions and pray, “God show us something new today!”
Learn:
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His faithful love endures forever. Psalm 107:1 NLT
Ask: What are some ways God has been good to you (us)?
Name the Truth: God our Father has been good to us!
Take Action: How can we share God’s goodness with others this week?
God is Loving.
Prepare: Let’s talk about God’s love. Put away distractions and pray, “God show us something new today!”
Learn:
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 1 John 4:16 NLT
Ask: What does it mean to put our trust in God’s love?
Name the Truth: God our Father loves us big!
Take Action: How can we share God’s love with others this week?
God is Faithful.
Prepare: Let’s talk about God’s faithfulness. Put away distractions and pray, “God show us something new today!”
Learn:
But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. Psalm 86:15 NLT
Ask: What does it mean to be faithful? How do we need to depend on God right now?
Name the Truth: God our Father is faithful and we can depend on him!
Take Action: What are some ways God has been faithful to us? Let’s declare it with gratitude!
God is Holy.
Prepare: Let’s talk about God’s holiness. Put away distractions and pray, “God show us something new today!”
Learn:
No one is holy like the Lord. There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. 1 Samuel 2:2 NLT
Ask: What is holiness? What makes God holy?
Name the Truth: God our Father is holy and worthy of honor!
Take Action: How can we honor God’s holiness in our lives?
God is Grace.
Prepare: Let’s talk about God’s grace. Put away distractions and pray, “God show us something new today!”
Learn:
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4:16 NLT
Ask: What does it mean that God is gracious?
Name the Truth: God our Father is always available when we need grace-filled help!
Take Action: How do you need God’s gracious help right now?
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We will always be learning and growing to understand the amazing attributes of our Father God. Starting with these simple truths will help kids begin to develop a connection with their Creator. Continue to plant seeds of relationship between your children and their heavenly Father as they are able to more deeply comprehend who he is and how much he loves them. I pray that you, too, will connect more with God as you lead your kids in relationship with him.
Pray this Prayer: Dear God, thank you for being a loving and holy Father. Help me to teach my children every beautiful aspect of your character as we both grow in relationship with you. Open our hearts to fully understand how amazing you are and how much you love us. We want to honor you by living a life that draws others to know you, too. Amen.
What attributes of God are you teaching your kids? What parts of his character are you learning about yourself?
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I loved this post. Thank you. I’ve been thinking of how I can start talking to my children about God as they are becoming more aware. But this spoke directly to me as well. Psalms 86:15 especially. Xx
Courtney, I’m so glad the post ministered to you! Thanks for reaching out. So glad to have you a part of the community!