Nurturing faith within your family

Cathy Madavan reminds us that parents have a crucial role in encouraging faith and provides tips on how we can do this in our everyday, busy lives

If there’s one thing every parent knows, it is this: there are no guarantees with children. You can be the best mum in the universe (or not), but there are no cookie cutters available that create consistently well-adjusted, holy, high-achieving children. Frankly, we just do our best; we love them unconditionally – and we pray a lot! Personally, I was a fairly young mum (24 when Naomi was born), and to say I was overwhelmed and dependent on God would be an understatement. Over the years, I have benefitted from the wise advice of others, and have made plenty of mistakes along the way, but increasingly I have simply prayed that the faith that has sustained me would also be an anchor for my daughters. Life isn’t always easy, and it certainly isn’t always fair, but God’s love and faithfulness is constant, and I want nothing more than this hope for my girls as they face life’s challenges. As I have said, there are never any guarantees, but households of faith need to start somewhere, and parents have a crucial role in encouraging faith in the family.