From the time a child enters the world, parents have a vision for what type of person they want him or her to be. For many, that vision may be of the perfect child—one who will embrace all the right values, make all the right choices, excel at all the right things, and who will affirm their success as a parent.

But raising perfect children is an impossible goal. It’s impossible because children are being raised by imperfect people, and they, like their parents, are sinful beings from birth. The Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23–24). Instead, the goal should be to raise godly children—children who will come to know and love God, grow in Christian character, and leverage their lives for the advancement of God’s kingdom for His glory and not their own.