Bringing Up Our Children to Love Jehovah

In the meantime Ekaterini and I were busy with the challenging job of bringing up our four children in line with godly principles. Happily, we have seen all of them, with Jehovah’s help, become mature Christians, devoting their lives fully to the important work of Kingdom preaching. Our three sons, Christos, Lakes, and Gregory have all graduated from the Ministerial Training School and are now serving in various assignments, visiting and strengthening congregations. Toula, our daughter, works as a volunteer at the headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses in New York. Our hearts were touched as we saw all of them sacrifice promising careers and high-paying jobs in order to serve Jehovah.

Many have asked what lies behind such successful child rearing. Of course, there is no fixed formula for bringing up children, but we diligently tried to instill love for Jehovah and neighbor in their hearts. (Deuteronomy 6:6, 7; Matthew 22:37-39) The children learned that we cannot tell Jehovah that we love him unless our deeds show that we do.

One day a week, usually Saturday, we participated in the ministry as a family. We regularly had a family Bible study on Monday evenings after dinner, and we also had a Bible study with each individual child. When the children were younger, we studied with each child for brief periods several times a week, and as they grew older, we had longer studies once a week. During these studies, our children opened up and freely discussed their problems with us.

We also enjoyed upbuilding recreation as a family. We liked to play musical instruments together, and each child loved to play his or her favorite songs. Some weekends, we invited other families for upbuilding association. We also took vacation trips as a family. On one such trip, we spent two weeks exploring the mountains of Colorado and working with the local congregations in the field ministry. Our children fondly remember working at district conventions in various departments and helping with Kingdom Hall construction in different places. When we took the children to Greece to see their relatives, they were also able to meet many faithful Witnesses who had been in prison for their faith. This made a deep impression on them, helping them to resolve to remain steadfast and courageous for the truth.

Of course, at times some of the children misbehaved or made poor choices regarding association. At other times, we created problems for them by being perhaps overly restrictive in some areas. But resorting to the “mental-regulating of Jehovah,” as found in the Bible, helped set matters straight for all of us.​—Ephesians 6:4; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17.

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Lakes: My father despised hypocrisy. He tried very hard not to be hypocritical, especially in setting the right example for his family. He often told us: “If you dedicate your life to Jehovah, that means something. You should be willing to make sacrifices for Jehovah. That is what being a Christian is all about.” These words have stuck with me and have enabled me to follow his example in making sacrifices for Jehovah.

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Christos: I have greatly appreciated my parents’ whole-souled loyalty to Jehovah and their strong commitment to their responsibility as parents. As a family, we did everything together​—from our service to our vacations. Although they could have become involved in so many other things, my parents kept their life simple and focused on the ministry. Today, I know I am truly happiest when I am fully engrossed in Jehovah’s service.

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Gregory: More than my parents’ words of encouragement to me to expand my ministry, their example and the evidence of their joy in Jehovah’s service moved me to reevaluate my circumstances, push aside any worries and concerns about starting full-time service, and apply myself more fully to Jehovah’s work. I thank my parents for helping me find the joy that comes from exerting myself.

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Toula: My parents always emphasized that our relationship with Jehovah is the most precious thing that we could ever possess and that the only way we can ever be truly happy is by giving Jehovah our best. They made Jehovah very real to us. My father often told us that there is an indescribable feeling about being able to go to bed at night with a clean conscience, knowing that you have tried your best to make Jehovah happy.