What does identity have to do with parenting?

Here's what I know to be true: the greatest gift you can give your child isn't the latest clothes and new phones, it’s not endless time with friends or a padded college fund. It’s not club sports and packed schedules. It's a known sense of who they are — rooted in the One who made them.

We live in a culture that is constantly telling our kids who to be. Social media, peers, coaches, even well-meaning adults — they're all competing to define our children before we do. And if we aren't intentional about grounding their identity in Christ first, the world will step in every chance it gets.

Research consistently shows that teens who have a faith walk have less anxiety, self-doubt, loneliness, or unhealthy coping behaviors than their peers who are not following Jesus. That fact alone should fuel you in your parenting. Because when a child knows they are unconditionally loved by their Heavenly Father, when they have been raised from birth to lean on Him, walk with Him, talk to Him — they face this world differently than their peers who are still searching for where they belong.

Knowing who we are and that we are loved unconditionally and accepted as we are is life-changing. When we know the love of Jesus, it is very difficult to have feelings of despondency and dejection. It produces an overflowing of love and acceptance to those around us. How can we not want those feelings for our children?

Think of your family as a tree. Your trunk is firmly planted in His word, your roots running deep with His love. Each branch coming off that trunk is your child — drawing their lifeline from you and from Him. How are your family's branches looking? Are they full of green, healthy leaves — or just hanging on?

The best way to help our children reject the lies of the enemy is to ground them in their identity in Christ. That's not a bumper sticker — it's a daily, intentional choice to show them through how we live, what we prioritize, and where we direct their hearts, that who they are starts and ends in Him.

This Week's Challenge: Ask your child this question tonight: "If you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be?" Listen carefully. Then share three words God uses to describe them in His word. Let them hear it from you first. Verses for the Week: Jeremiah 31:32 Corinthians 5:17 Isaiah 1:18 1 Peter 2:9 Ephesians 2:10