Raising Tiny Disciples

My Heart for Discipling My Kids When I think about discipling my children, my goals are simple but important: To help them experience a living, breathing faith — not just going through the motions. To guide them into a genuine and intimate relationship with God. To surround them with a circle of believers who will encourage and strengthen them. To faithfully pray over them, asking God to fulfill every plan and purpose He’s created them for. For much of my life, I thought I knew God. I grew up in church. I even went to Bible college. If you had asked me, I would have said I was a Christian. But if you looked at my life, it didn’t reflect a heart surrendered to Him. I poured my energy into what the world called success — law school, building businesses, financial milestones, creating a beautiful little family. And while I had many blessings, there was still an ache in my heart. Something was missing. About a year before I truly encountered the Lord, something began stirring in me. I would find myself in tears during worship — and I am not a crier. I’d watch baptisms and be overcome with emotion. I didn’t understand it then, but I can see now: God was softening my heart and preparing me for Him in a deeper way. That’s why discipleship with my kids matters so much to me. I don’t want their faith to stop at “checking a box” on Sundays. I want them to know Jesus personally. I want them to recognize His voice, to be sensitive to the Spirit, and to carry His presence with them wherever they go. More than anything, I want the assurance that one day, we’ll all be together in Heaven because their faith was real and alive. Real Faith: More than Sundays Life is hard. Walking through the loss of Dave this past year has shown me just how hard. Some days feel unfair, and the grief is heavy. But even in the hardest moments, I hear the Lord whisper: “Continue running the race.” Some of my sweetest moments are at the end of the day, after the kids are asleep. I slip into my closet, sit in the quiet, and invite the Holy Spirit to come. In His presence, nothing is impossible. I find peace where there should be none. I find comfort and courage to keep going. That’s what I long for my children: that when life feels heavy or impossible, their first instinct would be to run to Jesus. That they would know where to find peace, strength, and hope. That they would seek His voice and trust His presence. This is the legacy I want to leave: not just memories or milestones, but hearts that know how to walk with the Lord every day of their lives. A Circle of Believers The Bible tells us that “iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17), and I’ve seen firsthand how critical it is to have a strong circle of believers around you. The people you surround yourself with matter. They can either pull you away from God or carry you closer to Him. Think of the story in Mark 2, where friends carried a paralyzed man to Jesus. They couldn’t get through the crowd, so they lowered him through the roof — because they knew if they could just get him to Jesus, he would be healed. That man’s life was changed forever because of the faithfulness of his friends. I’ve experienced that same kind of love and faith through the body of Christ. When Dave was in the hospital, people from our life group signed up for hour-long slots to intercede and pray for him. Some were waking up at 2 or 3 am to pray for their hour slots! One Sunday, our pastor interrupted his sermon, called me on speakerphone from the pulpit, and had the entire congregation pray over us in real time. So many from our church family drove to the hospital to lay hands on Dave and pray over  him. The photo below is our pastor, Joel, praying in Dave's hospital room.  Moments like that reminded me that faith was never meant to be lived alone. We need community. I want my kids to grow up surrounded by brothers and sisters in Christ who will encourage them, pray for them, and point them back to Jesus when life gets heavy. Praying Over Their Calling One of the greatest gifts God has entrusted to me is the opportunity to pray for my children. More than anything, I want them to walk in the fullness of who God created them to be. Scripture says we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). That means each of my kids has a unique calling, a purpose designed by the Lord Himself. As their mom, my prayer is that they would know Jesus personally and trust His voice to lead them. I pray they would love Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and that His will would be done in their lives — not their own plans, not the world’s path, but God’s best. Some days, that prayer feels simple, whispered over bedtime. Other days, it feels like intercession in the quiet when no one else is watching. But I believe God hears every word. My role is to be faithful in prayer, and His promise is to be faithful in bringing His plans to pass. More than success, comfort, or achievement, I want my kids to leave a legacy of faith — to be brave followers of Jesus who shine His light in their generation. And I trust that as I pray and steward them, God will be faithful to complete the good work He started.