7 Ways to Prepare Your Christian Kids for Persecution and Ridicule

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” As parents, we are far from perfect. But kids still look to their parents as their primary source for wise counsel. It is our responsibility to instill the Word that we know into their minds. We can do our best to set an example for our children, and it is up to them to move that Word from their heads to their hearts. This way they have the wisdom of God’s promises to fall back on when times get tough. 

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Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” As parents, it is important to be observant and aware of whom our children are seeking as friends. Although difficult, we may need to keep them from unsavory friendships if we know it is going to lead them down the wrong path. I have had conversations with both of my kids about settling for friends who treat them as second best. A child’s choice of friends has more to do with their view of themselves than it does the actual friendship, but it is important that they find friends who genuinely want to be in their company. 

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“Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:1-3). In today’s culture, church attendance occurs after the busyness of sports commitments and other more fun activities. But one of the keys to spiritual maturity is partnering with people more spiritually than them so they can push them beyond their comfort zones and deepen their spiritual relationships with God and others. Youth groups are a great way for kids to connect with other deeply committed Christians. The more they hang around with like- minded people, the more their desire for intimacy and connection with God increases. 

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1 Corinthians 12:7-11 says, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.  All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” 

Through Christ’s death on the cross, not only can we enjoy an intimate relationship with God, we also have been wired with specific gifts and talents to edify the church body and to find our purpose among God’s people. Yet so many children are not encouraged to discover their spiritual gifts. A simple spiritual gifts inventory will help kids identify their gifts and find out where they can be used within their local church. If you’re effectively using your gifts in your church, don’t you think your kids would like that too? The church is a safe place to run to when the world wants to point a laughing finger at our kids. Teach your kids to view church as a safe haven and soon they will see it that way too. 

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John 1:12 says, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” What a privilege! In this verse, John is saying anyone who believes is automatically welcomed into the family of God. God sees our children as beautiful creations from the Father. All people, believers and unbelievers, suffer trials in this life. The difference between Christians and non-Christians is their response to it. A Christian gets the privilege of leaning on the living God to comfort them during those trials. Help your kids to bask in the already received approval of their heavenly Father, and they will be less likely to search for it in their peers. 

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“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.” (Matthew 5:38-40).

In today’s volatile world, people (including Christians) are angrier than ever. Social media has turned otherwise nice Christians into defensive, snarky hypocrites. Although easier said than done, help your kids respond in love to someone who is persecuting them. When someone writes a bad word on their locker, encourage your child to slip a loving note into their locker. When someone gossips about them to others, teach your child to go to them directly and confront the issue. More likely than not, the gossiper will stop because there is nothing to gossip about. 

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“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29). My kids are both guilty of lacing their words with sarcasm. Although it earns them a laugh in the short term, the more they do it, the more it hardens their hearts in the long term, severing their intimate relationship with God. The next time you hear them speaking less of someone or something, nip it in the bud. Teach them to “take every thought captive” and ask your child to analyze their attitude. Is their tendency to view the world with negativity and hate, or with positivity and love? Ask them if they think a short-term laugh is worth a long-term negative view of the world? Teaching them to think before they speak will help their natural tendency to respond in retaliation to instead turn to responding in a counter- cultural response of love. 

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It’s painful to watch your kids suffer ridicule at the hands of Satan’s schemes because of their beliefs. Although there is nothing we as parents can do to stop it, we can teach them how to respond. When Jesus was persecuted, he sat in silence, although it would have been easier to defend himself or spew harmful words. We can teach our kids to do the same and buck the trend of hate that has invaded our culture. Our tongues are powerful weapons. Responding in love with our tongues may be the best weapon of all. 

Michelle S. Lazurek is an award-winning author, speaker, pastor's wife and mother. Winner of the Golden Scroll Children's Book of the Year, the Enduring Light Silver Medal and the Maxwell Award, she is a member of the Christian Author's Network and the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. She is also an associate literary agent with Wordwise Media Services. For more information, please visit her website at michellelazurek.com.

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