{"id":32412,"date":"2022-09-10T16:08:33","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:08:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/how-to-raise-spiritually-mature-and-mentally-healthy-kids\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T16:08:33","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:08:33","slug":"how-to-raise-spiritually-mature-and-mentally-healthy-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/how-to-raise-spiritually-mature-and-mentally-healthy-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Raise Spiritually Mature and Mentally Healthy Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Agung Pandit Wiguna photo – Pexels<\/div>\n

By Aaron Earls<\/em><\/p>\n

Prayer and church attendance obviously benefit someone\u2019s spiritual health, but research has found it also has lasting benefits for a person\u2019s mental health.<\/p>\n

Forbes<\/em> reports a new study from Harvard\u2019s T.H. Chan School of Public Health found those who were raised religious or spiritual as children are more likely to have happier lives as adults.<\/p>\n

Those who attended religious services with parents or prayed or meditated on their own had healthier lives and improved mental health.<\/p>\n

Those who attended church at least once a week as children or teens were 18 percent more likely to report being happy as 20-something adults than those who never attended services.<\/p>\n

After reaching adulthood, church-attending kids were 30 percent more likely to do volunteer work and 33 percent less likely to use drugs.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The study also found those who prayed or meditated every day as children or teens were also more satisfied with their lives as adults. They were better able to process emotions and more likely to forgive others.<\/p>\n

Praying and meditating also reduced the likelihood someone had sex at an early age or contracted a sexually transmitted disease.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany children are raised religious,\u201d said Ying Chen, author of the study, \u201cand our study shows that this can powerfully affect their health behaviors, mental health, and overall happiness and well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raising children in church can have lasting benefits throughout their lives, but other factors can help ensure the child continues on in their faith as an adult.<\/p>\n

Spiritually Healthy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Lifeway Research found Bible reading to be far and away the best predictor of a churchgoing child being a spiritually healthy young adult.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
See also  Gen Z Mental Health Crisis: How Pastors Can Make a Difference<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In addition to regularly reading the Bible, children who regularly prayed growing up, served in the church, listened primarily to Christian music, and participated in mission trips were more likely to still be spiritually healthy and active as an adult.<\/p>\n

\u201cPracticing your faith\u2014in specific ways\u2014really pays off later in life,\u201d said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research.<\/p>\n

Those who do all five of those things growing up boost their spiritual health score as a young adult 41 percent, putting them above the 90th percentile, McConnell said.<\/p>\n

This highlights the importance of parents instilling their faith in their children, according to Jana Magruder, director of Lifeway Kids.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe key takeaway from Lifeway\u2019s study is a simple yet profound finding that God\u2019s Word is what changes lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Aaron Earls<\/h2>\n

@WardrobeDoor<\/p>\n

\n

Aaron is a writer for LifewayResearch.com.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n