Today we are talking about helping your teens worship. The word “worship” is actually a contraction of “worth-ship” meaning to honor what is honorable. So by encouraging your young adult to attend church or another house of worship, you are advocating that they schedule a time and place to give God the honor He is due. But worship shouldn’t stop there. Worship should be at the center of our daily living. Author Warren Wiersbe writes, “Worship is the believer’s response of all that he is—mind, emotions, will, and body—to all that God is and says and does.” Countless studies show that teens who take their faith seriously and are devoted to worship feel much more significant and less insecure than their counterparts. So how do you encourage your teen to make worship a priority?
Take worship seriously yourself.
Modeling is the pre-eminent way to pass on your faith to your children. Do you take church attendance seriously? Do you read Scripture throughout the week to prepare your heart? Do you jot down notes from the sermon? Do you sing with conviction? Your teen is watching, and taking notes, too.
Encourage your teen to have their closest friends be in the family of your faith.
The Bible talks about the dangers of being “unequally yoked.” Peer pressure is powerful and, if your adolescent runs with a crowd who does not take God seriously, they may stumble in their faith. Peer pressure, however is not always a bad thing. Good, God-centered friends can encourage your teen to grow spiritually and live a life of devoted worship.
Harness social media.
We may think social media can cause our children to stumble in their faith—and it can—but the Internet is also full of streaming videos of inspirational speakers. Their iPods™ loaded with worship songs, and with faith-filled Facebook friends, the online world can actually help with our children’s heavenly journey.
There are many more ways to encourage your teens to worship. Please share what you do in your family in the comments section below. I would love to hear from you!
