How the Jesus Challenge Helps You Spiritually Lead Your Family Without Burning Out
Could I gently say something that might slightly step on your toes?
You can’t lead your kids somewhere you’ve never been. 😬
Ouch – I know, I feel that sting too. But hang with me.
If you’ve ever googled, “How to get my kids to love Jesus,” while simultaneously skipping your own time with Jesus – hi. You’re not alone! I’ve been there, and I understand how badly you want your kids to have a real, alive relationship with Jesus.
But it’s SO easy to overlook the most powerful tool God’s given us to help that happen: our own relationship with Him. 🙏
That’s why I created the Jesus challenge – a 40-day virtual Christian challenge designed to prioritize Jesus as your #1, even in the midst of real, messy, exhausting life.
Your kids will imitate what you prioritize – which begs the question, are they watching you follow Jesus first?
The way that you live out your faith, even in the private moments in your heart, has more influence on your kids’ relationship with God than any Sunday school lesson ever will.
So let’s dig into why your personal, private walk with Jesus matters deeply – for you and for the legacy you’re creating. 👪
Your Ripple Effect On Your Family
How many times have you caught your kids saying something YOU say all the time? Like when your 4-year-old coaches her sibling to “use your words.” All of a sudden you have a mini life coach running around in footie pajamas. 😂
Your kids are sponges. They soak up not only your words – but also how you live.
One of Scripture’s clearest parenting verses starts with THE PARENT:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might, And these words…shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children…” (Deuteronomy 6:5-7)
BEFORE it says to teach your children, it says to love the Lord. There’s an order. There’s a starting point. And it’s you! 🫵
When YOU prioritize intimacy with God, your whole home feels it.
✨ Your peace is contagious.
✨ Patience sets the tone of your voice.
✨ Your rhythm of seeking God first becomes the quiet undercurrent of all of your family's decisions.
The National Study of Youth and Religion found that children are more likely to adopt their parents’ religious practices if the parents model consistent, sincere faith. A similar study found that parents’ religious devotion radically decreases their children’s chance of delinquency and participation in harmful activities.
So no, I’m not saying you must be a perfect parent – that person doesn’t exist. 🙅
But I encourage you to be intentional about your time with the Lord. When you recenter your life on Christ, even privately, your kids will notice the difference – and they’ll carry that example with them – whether they ever say a word about it or not.
Your Example > Your Expertise
Andy Stanley teaches that the most powerful parenting strategy is living a life worth imitating.
Wow. 🤯 That really reframes how we want to show up, doesn’t it?
Your example matters WAY more than your expertise. Your kids don’t need you to answer every question perfectly. They need someone who can explore God’s Word with them and model how to seek God’s truth when they don’t know the answer.
They’re watching real-life moments. Like how you handle it when:
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You snap at someone and come back with a humble, “I’m sorry.”
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You’re stressed to the max and pause to pray instead of spiraling out of control.
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You prioritize prayer and time with Jesus – even when no one else does.
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You worship God wholeheartedly because your devotion is to God, not all the other people around you.
Living in step with God’s spirit is not reserved for family devotions or prayer time before bed.
🎯 It’s in the Target parking lot.
😭 In Wednesday morning breakdowns.
🚗 In the drive-through.
😮💨 In the stretchy pants and messy hair.
But Isn’t Spending Time Alone With Jesus… Selfish?
That nasty guilt gremlin sneaks up fast and whispers things like,
“You should focus on your family’s needs first.”
“You don’t have time.”
“Start once life calms down.”
I know, those thoughts sound SO noble. So selfless. But let me call them out as what they really are: lies dressed up as responsibility. 🫠
The truth is it’s extremely wise to read your Bible and nourish your soul in God’s Word. It's written ALL over Scripture!
You are NOT neglecting your family when you go on a Jesus challenge walk or sit with your coffee and study God’s Word. You’re doing the opposite – you’re investing in them! 🫗
When you water and nurture your soul, you develop the most peaceful, rooted, hydrated version of yourself they desperately need. And that’s the version of yourself that Jesus shines through the clearest!
A recent study from Liberty University found that moms who regularly practice self-care – both physically and spiritually – show higher levels of emotional regulation, positivity, and mental clarity. 📈 The study concluded that these qualities led to healthy family relationships and increased confidence, self-esteem, and worth.
WOW – dream come true!
In other words, you can’t expect to pour out love, grace, and patience when your heart is starving for God’s own love, grace, and patience over you first. 🥀
Taking time away from your family to be with Jesus is NOT selfish. Rather, it fuels the very thing you want most – your family’s health and well-being.
👉 Jesus in you does a LOT more for your family than just you can do, living out of the Spirit and trying to be it all for them.
What About When Your Kids “Don’t Notice?”
If they don’t even notice, why are you doing all this work?? 🤷
Like when you’re up hours ahead of your brain, bleary-eyed, and reading your Bible, but your kids are somehow already fighting.
Or you're walking laps around your neighborhood praying your heart out, and they’re home watching Bluey with peanut butter on their eyebrows.
Friend, let me remind you: the choices you make in private may never be seen by the outside world – but they change YOU.
🌱 YOU respond to squabbles differently.
🌱 YOU greet your husband with more love.
🌱 YOU find impossible peace in the chaos.
And your kids see the change in YOU.
Even when they don’t join you or they roll their eyes at you, God’s using your small, secret little choices – the ones only He will ever know about – to develop your soul into a mirror that reflects His own soul. That mirror shines the love and grace of God directly onto your children. When they look into that mirror – your life – they see the character of their Heavenly Father. ✨
WOW. I don’t know about you, but there’s NO higher calling than that to me.
How to Make This Practical With the Jesus Challenge
Now, if you’re reading this and thinking, “Okay… I WANT to live that kind of life, but also – I have laundry mountains and zero time.” 😩
First of all, SAME.
And second of all, that’s why the Jesus virtual challenge exists! To help you practice a doable, practical, bite-sized routine that’s not another to-do to make you feel behind.
Here’s how the virtual Jesus challenge works:
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You commit to walking or running one mile per day for 40 days. A daily body, mind, and soul reset.
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As you walk, read a portion of pre-assigned Scripture for the day.
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You can opt into daily challenges that help you apply that day’s reading to real life
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And you’ll join a private Facebook group of wonderful people who are doing the virtual Jesus challenge alongside you!
But what if…
⏰ “...I don’t have time!”
You do. I pinky promise. It’s just 20 minutes a day. If Jesus is the most important thing in our lives, we have time for Him. 🫶
📆 “...I miss a day?”
That’s totally fine! You can just pick back up the next day. The Jesus challenge is full of grace for busy people – I’m right in it with you!
🚶 “...I do it alone?”
You are NOT alone! There are hundreds of other people walking this path with you (some literally.) The Jesus challenge Facebook group is full of people just like you cheering you on.
When you prioritize Jesus as #1 with the Jesus challenge, your kids see that a rich relationship with God is worth your time, energy, and attention. And it's developed through intentional action and boundaries from the busyness of your life.
Lead Your Family to Jesus With the Jesus Challenge
Your quiet obedience makes a HUGE difference in your family. Your imperfect but sincere pursuit of knowing Jesus shapes your heart and your family’s hearts.
Your kids don’t need a flawless example to know and love Jesus. They learn from whatever example is most consistent and steady in your life.
So I invite you to walk with Jesus in the stillness, in the chaos, in the stroller walks, in the after-bedtime quiet. 🧎
This virtual Christian challenge is for you – and for them. It’s a simple, daily rhythm you can start today to care for your soul, body, and mind – AND lead your family in their affection for the Lord. 🙌
Click the button to join today!