A strong foundation… simple words with a solid meaning behind them. As Christian parents and grandparents we are given the responsibility of raising our children with Christian values, good behavior, and the characteristics they will need to succeed in the adult world. How do we do this?

We start with a strong foundation with Christ at the center. Adults raised this way may find this concept a no brainer but others may struggle thinking it should be easy if we believe in Jesus as our Savior. Nothing could be further from the truth. Believing doesn’t make life easy it gives us the foundation we need to plow through the tough times.

Think of it this way. A carpenter must start with a good strong foundation to build his house so the foundation will hold the weight of the home, its contents, and keep the people inside safe. Christ does the same for each of us. He is strong enough to hold the weight of the world, our world, keeping our home and our soul safe.

Christmas time is the perfect time to share this life lesson even with the youngest of children. Many holiday activities can begin a conversation about Christ our Lord as the strong foundation we need to grow. Here are a couple of examples of what I mean. Wrapping presents doesn’t go well without a strong box underneath the wrapping paper… a strong foundation. Building a gingerbread house will never work without a strong foundation of gingerbread strongly secured before adding the decorations…a strong foundation. Decorating the Christmas tree will never happen unless you have the tree secured in the stand…. a strong foundation. You get the idea.

This life lesson carries over into every aspect of our lives and our children witness it everyday. Marriage must have a strong foundation, businesses must have strong foundations to succeed, charities need a strong foundation of donations to succeed.

Our responsibility then becomes showing our children that Christ is our strong foundation no matter what we are going through in life. Even in difficult times our children will witness how we handle a crisis and also how grateful we are in any circumstance. Make Christ the strong foundation in your family and don’t be afraid to show it to your children. They will thank you for the lesson when they raise children of their own.