We are blessed to have homes that contain familiar “environments” — times and places where certain events take place. As our kids grow up they presume that at home they will find…
…a designated spot for family dining…
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…opportunity for play…
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…and time for reading (hopefully every day!)
Other environments we set up for our kids include a place to get some much needed shut-eye and an area for study. (Yikes, coming soon!)
It’s the way things are. Eating, sleeping, studying, playing… You could say:
It’s how we do it around here.
But something important is missing.
What about purposefully setting up space and time to experience God?
So it feels normal.
Here are some suggestions for adding this critical environment to your home:
Include the Bible in your daily reading roster. And make sure your child “catches you” reading.- Practice being grateful. (Documenting your gratitude brings attention to God’s gifts; they are everywhere! Even in the midst of darkness!)
- Spend time as a family with everyone sharing one glad and one sad for the day – AKA: Glads and Sads, or Crowns and Thorns! Don’t try to fix anything, just listen and celebrate and commiserate.
- Start every meal with a table blessing. Try here for some new ones.
- Introduce new ways to talk with God – prayer. (Get out markers to pray? Yes!)
- Offer your child a daily blessing – words said out loud that reassure your child that they are loved and accepted.
- What other ideas would you add?
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Photo credits:
Dinner table by Sean Dreilinger; Reading by John Morgan; Swing set by Wouter Verhelst all licensed on Flickr, under a Creative Commons License.
Adult reading the Bible by StockSnap on Pixabay released under Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Public Domain.
Family Faith Companion 