Our culture tends to embrace the “bigger is better” mantra. Bigger homes, cars, social media followings, moments—we want everything to be unforgettable, monumental, picturesque. And yet it hasn’t been the big, exciting moments of my life that have shaped me. The little moments have proved the most meaningful.
How sweet it is to look back at my childhood and discover the small things were the biggest. My parents understood this well. They took the talents and treasures God entrusted to them and, instead of burying them, invested them for the everyday good of our family (Matt. 25:14–30).
My dad, a pastor, didn’t relegate his pastoral wisdom or theological knowledge to the church. Instead, he used his gifts to shepherd my young heart through bedtime stories and gospel conversations. My mom, a teacher, stewarded homeschool lessons to teach me about faithful women in ministry. Both used moments of discipline to teach me the gospel. I learned from my parents to redeem small things for the glory of God. After all, he’s never made a meaningless moment.
Beyond Bedtime
When I was 2, my parents gave me a stuffed mouse for Christmas. My dad contrived a world of stories around this little gray friend, replete with hilarious mishaps and biblical themes. I begged to hear them every night. In these stories, my mouse lived in the walls of the Baptist church my dad pastors, and he was always learning truths the hard way.
Bedtime became more than just bedtime. It was something Dad redeemed to teach me about obedience, grace, and the gospel. I still have that stuffed mouse tucked away in my old room. He’s a symbol of a sweet, gospel-saturated childhood I cherish.
Bedtime became more than just bedtime. It was something Dad redeemed to teach me about obedience, grace, and the gospel.
My dad has a wealth of spiritual and theological knowledge—and multiple seminary degrees. But he’s never been above bedtime stories with simple truths. And these fanciful, made-up stories slowly gave way to deeper conversations about the gospel as I grew.
Thoughtful Teaching
My mom was intentional with our homeschool assignments, especially when it came to reading. Whenever possible, she encouraged me to read books that inspired me and drew me outside of myself to marvel at Christ in the lives of others. And so, when friends were reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid at school, I was reading biographies of women who were anything but wimpy.
Stories of women like Elisabeth Elliot, Susannah Spurgeon, and Ann Judson shaped me. I didn’t just read about them—I asked God to make me like them. I’m so grateful my mom was thoughtful as she planned our school assignments. I had to learn to read. But teaching me to read while I simultaneously learned about women who inspired me to follow Jesus meant an ordinary school assignment worked for my spiritual good.
Gospel-Focused Discipline
My parents used moments of discipline to point me to the gospel. Their discipline reflected the heart of the Father, who is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Ps. 103:8).
My dad has a pastoral gentleness about him that blesses not only our church but also me. He was faithful to address my sin when I argued with my mom or was ungracious to my little brother, but after discipline always came a warm hug and a gentle reminder: “I love you.” In these interactions, I learned about the heart of Jesus, who, by his sacrificial death, said the same thing.
After discipline always came a warm hug and a gentle reminder: ‘I love you.’ In these interactions, I learned about the heart of Jesus.
Both Mom and Dad used moments of discipline to explain the gospel to me. They pointed me to “the God of all grace” who died to pay for the sins I’d committed (1 Pet. 5:10). Over years of faithful shepherding, these gospel seeds planted in painful moments bore much fruit, just as Hebrews 12:11 explains: “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
Small Moments, Big Influence
Through bedtimes, schoolwork, and discipline, my parents made small moments significant. But the best part is, these are just examples. There are so many ways to be faithful in the little things. Christian parent, God has uniquely equipped you to redeem the mundane for good.
Don’t bury your gifts, the talents God has entrusted to you, but instead invest them to bless your children. Choose simple, sacrificial faithfulness, and you might find the small things become the biggest things that influence your children.
The Gospel Coalition