We never know how God’s wise providence will ultimately unfold in the lives of our children, we should strive to leave them with this testimony: “For all their failures, my mom and dad loved Jesus as much at home as they did in public—because Jesus loved them.”

I was struck by something a few years ago when two male role models of mine died. As I sat with each of their grieving families, I heard their wives and children unanimously testify that their fathers loved Jesus in private as much as they did in public. This refrain was not rehearsed, but it played over and over again within every individual tune.

As an Army chaplain, I occasionally ask my soldiers to divide into corners based on their response to this question: “Do you like the way you were raised religiously?” It’s always fascinating because, again, certain refrains are common. Regardless of what religion they were raised in, soldiers answered positively if their parents’ faith was consistently practiced and modeled at home. They answered negatively if their parents were pious in public but never practiced or modeled their faith behind closed doors.

So what can we learn from these examples about how to model faithfulness in our own homes?

Make sure your faith is genuine.

In certain cultures, it is fashionable to play religion. You go to church every Sunday, raise your hands during the music, and tell everyone how blessed you are after the service. You might even volunteer in ministries helping the poor. Is this all just a performance? Are you spending time in the Bible and in prayer when you are alone? Do you feel convicted by your sin and comforted by God’s grace? Make sure you’re not just performing, but rather practicing a genuine faith in Jesus. He instructs us:

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