Winston Churchill said, “Continuous effort – not strength nor intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.” Every parent knows Christian parenting isn’t easy and that continuous effort is required – effort to get up when you only got a smidgen of sleep, effort to stay focused on your boundary-pushing child, effort when you feel like you have no more to give, and effort in teaching kids about Jesus. It never stops – and sometimes we need help from friends, pastors, meaningful songs, or from trustworthy words spoken by others.

For parents, learning about Jesus can take many forms, but one way to receive strength from God in your parenting is to read thoughts and ideas from wise Christians. Below are ten quotes from leaders, authors, and pastors that are meant to encourage you and give meaning to the continuous effort you put in each day:

Quotes of Encouragement

“Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” ~Francis Chan

“As a parent, your part is to pray for your kids and teach them what the Bible says about how to live, set up guidelines for them to follow, determine what the consequences will be if they disobey, and follow through with those consequences when necessary. God’s part is to work with your children’s hearts and help them change their inward attitudes. The children’s part is to choose what they are going to do. Parents get out of balance when they try to manage all three parts of this process themselves.” ~Joyce Meyer

“Determinism makes parents conclude that good shaping influences will automatically produce good children. This often bears bitter fruit later in life. Parents who have an unruly and troublesome teenager or young adult conclude that the problem is the shaping influences they provided. They think if they had made a little better home, things would have turned out OK. They forget that the child is never determined solely by shaping influences of life. Remember that Proverbs 4:23 instructs you that the heart is the fountain from which life flows. Your child’s heart determines how he responds to your parenting.” ~Tedd Tripp

“Some of your children’s rebellion against your spiritual lifestyle might be a necessary step in their finding an authentic relationship with God. But beware: If they find it, it might look quite different from what you’ve always thought it should be.”  ~Tim Kimmel

“Everyone has a chapter that they do not want to read out loud.” ~Toby Mac

“If you believe in a God who controls the big things, you have to believe in a God who controls the little things. It is we, of course, to whom things look ‘little’ or ‘big’.” –Elisabeth Elliot

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” ~Chuck Swindoll

“Life will always give you a second chance – it’s called tomorrow.” ~Toby Mac

“Relying on God has to start all over everyday, as if nothing has yet been done.” ~C. S. Lewis

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” ~Zig Ziglar

Parenting Isn’t Easy

Nobody said being a parent is easy, so why do we think we have to be perfect? Is it because of pressure from others? Or pressure from our children? The amazing reality is that children are resilient because they know what it means to love unconditionally. We make mistakes, and they love. We are grumpy, and they love. We forget something, and they love. Their love is boundless – a bit like Jesus’ love – but we still feel the pressure of perfect parenting.

The concept of perfection is actually anti-Scriptural. Our goal in teaching kids Bible truths is to help them grow more like Jesus. We struggle because we make mistakes, we mess up. But, children love us in spite of our mistakes. They give us a second chance.

The thing your child needs most is for you to be there. It’s simple: they need you. They need you to listen when they’re sad and when they’re happy. They need you to drive them to practice and piano lessons – and sometimes these seemingly mundane moments of ordinary life are ripe for learning. Keep your eyes open for them. Take these times to show them how you are growing.

You can also delve into Scripture with them, teaching them through family devotionals that life is a journey of growth and learning and messing up and starting again. If you’re looking for a place to begin, check out Seeds Family Worship from Minno. It’s a resource to help you bring your family together and focus on your relationship with God. Plant the seeds and watch how amazing things will grow.