We Can’t Pass On What We Don’t Carry
Before we talk about teaching our children to worship, are we worshippers ourselves? Worship is not something we do once a week. It’s a life we live. And when we live it, our children will follow, because they’ve seen the real thing. Passing on the culture of worship starts with personal intimacy with God. You don’t have to be a prophet, evangelist, pastor, apostle, teacher but you must be present with God.
Sometimes we look at our lives and wonder, How can I possibly pass on a legacy of worship when I feel like I’m barely getting it right myself?
Maybe you don’t feel like a spiritual giant. Maybe your prayer life feels patchy. Maybe worship sometimes feels like a duty, not a delight. And now you’re supposed to raise children who burn for Jesus?
Breathe, dear parent. Go easy on yourself.
God has never needed perfect people to carry out His perfect plan. Abraham lied. Isaac almost pulled off the same stunt. Jacob? Well, let’s just say his name literally meant “deceiver.” David had moments of failure, choices so raw and broken we often read them in a whisper. Yet these are the very men God associates with by name. He says: “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” (Exodus 3:6, Matthew 22:32)
If God wasn’t ashamed to be associated with them, He won’t be ashamed to walk this parenting journey with you either.
Legacy isn’t passed through perfection. It’s passed through consistency and surrender. Through daily choices to lean into God’s grace, even when we stumble. So, if you’re showing up each day with a willing heart, even if it’s a tired, messy, or unsure one, you’re already doing more than you know.
Serve Him one day at a time.
Worship in your weakness.
Model repentance and humility.
And trust this: He who began a good work in you is able to keep you and your children blameless until the day of His return. (Philippians 1:6, Jude 1:24)
Your kids aren’t looking for perfect Christians.
They’re looking for authentic believers.
The kind who fall but rise. Who repent. Who grow.
Who model love, hunger for truth, and joy in God’s presence.
How Do We Pass This On Practically?
Prioritize God’s Presence at Home: create moments of prayer, worship, and Scripture reading that your children can participate in. Let worship not be “something we do in church,” but “who we are at home.”
Take Church Seriously
- Go early. Serve joyfully. Don’t speak carelessly about church leadership or people.
- Model the joy of community and consistency in gathering. Hebrews 10:25 tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. Let your children see church as life-giving, not a burden.
Normalize Serving in God’s House
- Let them see you serve.
- If you sweep, usher, teach, sing, do it with joy.
- Let them understand that being a worker in church is not for “some people,” but for anyone who loves Jesus.
Explain Why You Do What You Do
Don’t just do, teach. “We’re fasting because we want to be closer to God.”
“We give because God owns everything.”
“We pray in tongues because the Holy Spirit of God helps us and its His seal on our hearts that we belong to God..” (Ephesians 1:13, Romans 8:26)
These explanations create understanding, not just routine.
Teach the Word
- Tell Bible stories.
- Ask questions and let them ask too
- Use moments of discipline to point them back to Scripture. Your home should be their first Bible School. You’d be surprised how many scriptures speak directly to everyday life. There’s a verse for almost any situation or lesson you’re trying to teach at home; whether it’s obedience, kindness, honesty, or even dealing with anger. The Word of God is ever alive and relevant.
Make Worship Normal, Not Religious
- Dance to worship music while cooking.
- Sing aloud in the car.
- Let “Hallelujah” be part of their vocabulary, not just “Jesus fix this.” Teach them worship is not for crisis, it’s for life.
Pray With and Over Them Daily
Don’t wait for big issues.
Lay hands. Bless them.
Let their hearts know the sound of intercession.
Let their rooms know the weight of your prayers.
Let Them See You Obey God
- When God tells you to forgive, do it.
- When He leads you to give sacrificially, do it.
Obedience is worship, and it preaches louder than words.
Finally, Worship Is Legacy
Abraham didn’t just believe God for himself. He passed that belief down like a spiritual DNA.
You can too.
Let your children inherit more than money.
Let them inherit a fire, a passion for the presence and purpose of God.
Let them say, “The God of my parents is my God.”
Let their hearts be trained to say “Yes” to God from a young age.
Because one day, when they are out in the world, you want them to instinctively turn to the altar, just like Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph did. Let’s raise worshipers. Not just churchgoers.
Prayer:
Father, make me a worshipper in truth.
Let my children find You in me.
Help me to teach, to model, to lead, to obey.
Let my home be a dwelling place of Your presence.
Raise in my lineage sons and daughters who serve, who burn, and who love You deeply.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
