Faith is More “Caught Than Taught”

This is a scene from the movie 42, the true baseball story that recounts the life of Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play Major League Baseball. The film follows Robinson as he endures intense pressure and relentless racial prejudice while breaking the color barrier in professional baseball. As a baseball fan—and a Dodgers fan in particular—I love this film because it powerfully portrays the fierce dedication and resilience of a man who faced extraordinary hardship. It reveals both the best and worst of humanity.

The image above captures a depraved moment of humanity and one of the film’s most heartbreaking scenes. A father is shown shouting racial slurs at Robinson as he takes the field. Beside him, his young son shifts from innocent excitement about professional baseball to mimicking his father’s hatred. You can see the internal conflict on the boy’s face as he moves from admiration to imitation. Without being directly instructed, he learns prejudice simply by watching and following his father’s example.

You see, children are perceptive observers. They notice their parents. They imitate us whether we try to get them to or not. It is in every person’s DNA to imitate the people who form them in adolescence. And because of this, though they may not articulate it, they are constantly forming conclusions about what faith truly is through watching your life. Therefore, faith is more is caught than taught.

For parents, personal intimacy with Jesus is not optional to family discipleship—it is foundational to it. John 15:4-5 says, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” As parents, we have little hope in forming faith in our homes without first remaining in Jesus ourselves. Clinging to Jesus for life is the foundation and hope for faith to permeate in our homes.

Pastor Tyler Staton has said, “Fruitfulness is the collateral damage of intimacy.” That idea should guide us as parents who long to lead our homes into a deeper relationship with God. Real spiritual fruit in our children does not begin with stricter rules or more church attendance – it begins with us.

Organic spiritual authenticity carries weight. When a child sees a parent read Scripture privately, repent sincerely, worship genuinely, and serve joyfully, they are witnessing embodied theology. Faith moves from abstract to tangible. It becomes something they can see, not just something they are told. And that kind of witness leaves an imprint.

As a child, I remember waking up early and wandering downstairs to find my mom sitting in her prayer chair. Every morning, without fail, she was there with her Bible open. To this day, she still begins each morning with Jesus. At the time, I did not think much about it. It was simply normal. But as I’ve grown older and begun reflecting on my childhood, I’ve realized how formative that quiet, consistent faithfulness truly was.

One of the rhythms most dear to my heart now is my morning coffee and Bible reading. It feels natural. Anchoring. Essential. And I can see clearly why. Watching my mom, day after day and year after year, shaped my understanding of intimacy with Jesus. I didn’t just hear about devotion — I saw it.

Fruitfulness in my life didn’t grow from pressure. It grew from proximity to a faithful parent. I was formed by what I witnessed.

And that’s the invitation for us as parents: if we want spiritual fruit in our homes, we start with intimacy in our own lives.

One of the great dangers in Christian households is external conforming without internal and personal transformation. If faith is only talked about and practiced by attending church but not practiced in daily ordinary rhythms, children may miss faith entirely. But when prayer emerges naturally in moments of anxiety, when repentance follows sharp words, when generosity is practiced sacrificially, the gospel becomes visible.

PRACTICE

Consider three essential rhythms to remain in Jesus:

1. Scripture Intake.Daily engagement with the Word reorients the heart. Whether through a reading plan, the Bible app, or focused study, Scripture is our main source of life. Parents who remain in the Word demonstrate their dependence on Jesus and grow their intimacy.

2. Prayerful Dependence.Prayer acknowledges limitation. Pray is an invitation for us to deepen relationship with God. When children hear parents pray for wisdom, forgiveness, and guidance, they learn that strength is borrowed, not self-generated.

3. Corporate Worship.Consistent participation in gathered worship reinforces that faith is communal. You demonstrate to your children that our faith is not meant to be lived in isolation but in a loving community.

It is important to note that perfection is not the goal; progress is. Children are forming their understanding of God partially through their observation of parental faith. Take it one step at a time. Brian Haynes argues that the main way children will come to faith is through the emulation of what they see in their parents. He says, “Our kids need to see what it looks like to follow Christ more than they need to hear what it is like.”[1] Be present, turn of your phone, take small steps of obedience, and pray.