If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. (John 15:18)

Today’s big question: what if my child faces persecution for following God?

While today’s verse does not deal directly with parenting, it does bring up a difficult topic for Christian parents. As followers of Christ, we will face persecution when we stand firmly on biblical truth and proclaim the gospel. And not only are we called to endure hardships for the sake of Christ, but we will likely have to watch our children encounter similar and perhaps even greater trials.

As Christian parents, we should never be ashamed when our children are persecuted for the sake of righteousness. In fact, we should rejoice that they are “counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41).

This world in its sin-cursed state has always pointed a finger of shame at those who know and love God. The children of Israel were despised by the nations around them. The prophets were hated for proclaiming truth. The apostles were persecuted and killed. There is a consistent history of hatred against those who love Christ—and Jesus Himself was despised and rejected. Through it all, God has built the great army of His church. When parents have the great joy of seeing their children love and know Christ, they must also recognize that the world will despise and reject their children. This brings no shame.

At Answers in Genesis and the Creation Museum, we are often accused of being child-abusers by those who reject Christ. The premise of this accusation is that we are abusing children by disagreeing with the secular science establishment regarding evolution and millions of years and training them in the Word of God. They consider this to be false education. The world has always seen God’s wisdom as foolishness because the heart of man is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). To stand on the Word of God brings no shame for parents because they are not responsible to the standards of this world but to the Lord Jesus Christ.

If my child is beaten for the sake of Christ, it brings me no shame. If my child is ridiculed for the sake of Christ, it brings me no shame. If my child is isolated for the sake of Christ, it brings me no shame. My prayer is that my child knows and loves Christ and lives to honor Him. As parents, it is always a cause for rejoicing when our children are following Christ and standing for the truth of His Word.  http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2011/01/20/my-child-faces-persecution