20 Qualities to Pass On to Our Children

Unless the Lord builds the house,
the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the guards stand watch in vain.
2 In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to[a] those he loves.
3 Children are a heritage from the Lord,
offspring a reward from him.

Psalm 127: 1-3

Building a family is a noble pursuit. It should define our lives. Consequently, parenting is all about investment. We must invest our time and effort into our children so that their lives fulfill the destiny to which God has called them. For that investment to bear fruit, we need to have focus.

The following qualities are seen throughout the scriptures as holding immense value for those who possess them. Start with these 20 qualities, and then work to develop them in your relationship with God so that your heart is passed on to your children.

20 Qualities: Into the Parent’s Heart, And Into the Teen’s

1. GOD – teaching relationship rather than rules
2. SCRIPTURE – reaching the heart rather than controlling behavior
3. FAITH – inspiring your child to believe
4. EMOTION – making and keeping the connection
5. RELATIONSHIPS – your friendships are your destiny
6. CONVICTION – knowing why you do what you do
7. MOTIVATION – knowing your heart to know yourself
8. VISION – always be hopeful
9. RESILIENCE – turning stumbling blocks into stepping stones
10. EMPATHY – it’s not all about you
11. CHARACTER – who are you when no one is looking
12. COURAGE – the coward won’t get anything done
13. AMBITION – make a difference
14. TEAM – better together
15. LEADERSHIP – willing to take responsibility
16. TENACITY – never give up
17. SPIRITUALITY – the importance of the invisible
18. FORGIVENESS – the importance of giving & receiving second chances
19. CHANGE – never stop learning or growing
20. PURPOSE – what will I do while I am here

 5 Tips to Help Your Bible Study

 1. Word Study

Look up the word or the quality you want to pass on in the dictionary and write out the definition.

Use a concordance or online concordance and look up all the passages on the topic.

Write down what you learn from the scriptures you’ve read.

 2. Goals

Goal-setting ideally involves establishing specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-targeted objectives (e.g. spend 15 minutes per day talking about emotions with your family).

3. Evaluate Your Strengths & Weaknesses

We don’t often evaluate our strengths and weaknesses in the qualities we’d like to pass on to our children. As a result, we can be unaware of whether our influence is positive or negative. Take time to pray about this area, as well as talk to your family about it.

4. Decisions

What decisions do you need to make on a daily basis to achieve your goals?

5. Memory Scriptures

What scriptures can you memorize to help you develop the quality you want to pass on to your children?