Living Faith

“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.” (Romans 1:16, NLT)

“Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist.” (Galatians 4:8, NLT)

“So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.” (Galatians 5:1, NLT)

The sun happily beamed through our kitchen window on the first day of school. I was concerned because my son, Ben, was late coming to the breakfast table. When I saw him, I knew why. He had proudly and meticulously dressed himself from head-to-toe in yellow-and-green Green Bay Packer NFL football merch. From a ball cap, to a jersey, to shorts and flip flops, Ben wanted his classmates and everyone around him to know he was a Packers fan. He was externally expressing his internal faith in his team.

Drawing a parallel between our kids’ faith in God and faith in an NFL football team is a stretch, I know, but isn’t that the kind of Christian faith expression we want our kids to have at school or anywhere else?

The good news is they can. Your kids’ freedom to be a God fan in public school - and anywhere in the public square - is firmly protected by the Constitution.

So why is it so important for kids to be free to express their faith outwardly in word, dress, and action?

Identifying with Christ externally as well as internally, deepens our kids’ faith journey. What our children believe is an important part of them – a part they can’t leave at home. Their belief system guides every aspect of their lives. Their choices, behavior, friendships, and even their desire to strive for excellence, all stem from their beliefs about what is valuable. Faith is an integral part of them, and it will show in their outward behavior.

The Apostle Paul said this about outward faith expression, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

As your kids’ faith spills freely over into every area of their lives, they will likely want to talk about God and express their growing faith at school. That’s part of having a growing faith.

More than a T-shirt or a cross around their necks, their belief in our amazing God and their relationship with Him will be demonstrated in their speech, behavior, dress, and countenance. I’ve seen firsthand that when kids realize what Christ has done for them and accept Him as their Savior; in their souls, they become raving God fans. Just like my son’s Packers fandom, faith in Jesus naturally bubbles out of them. They just can’t help it.

How does your faith bubble out into your week? Can others tell you are a God fan? Are you modeling to your children how to live the Gospel through your speech, dress, actions, and countenance?

Lord, help me to enjoy the freedom of living my faith all throughout my week. Help me be a consistent, genuine example of a God fan for my children.