Honestly? Fair question.
Family devotionals sound great in theory. Then you remember that you live in reality. The last time you tried one, one kid attempted a flip off the couch while the other answered every question with another question…in Pig Latin. Add practices, homework, late workdays, and the fact that too much family togetherness can sometimes end in fighting, and it’s really understandable why family devotions can get skipped altogether.
But discipleship does not need to wait for ideal conditions. It happens in the middle of real life. There’s never a magical moment where your kids turn into perfect angels, begging to be instructed in the ways of godliness. And that’s ok!
The bible very practically instructs parents to train up your kids IN THE MIDST of real life, (Deuteronomy 6:7). In the carpool line. Before school. Waiting for practice to start. While they’re looking for a lost retainer.
I’ve got good news for you: little Hebrew kids from thousands of years ago weren’t particularly easier to train up than your rug rats are! Their parents had to figure out how to disciple in imperfect circumstances, too!
So with that in mind, on the off chance one of your favorite therapists released a fantastic family devotional this week and you’re not sure how you can convince your family to get in on it, let me offer a few suggestions to consider:
1. Set everybody up for success
Most devotionals don’t have to be done in order. You’re the master of your domain! So do yourself a favor and find the one that you think will be the biggest hit with your kids.
Each entry for my 30-day devotional through the Psalms ends in the same rhythm: Pray, Discuss, Do. If I were playing to a tough crowd, say, hypothetically, a 12 year old boy who would rather be playing soccer or Fortnite with his friends, I’m going to start out with one like, “Stand Out” on page 24, which ends in an arm wrestling contest. Or if I had a middle school girl, I’d start with one that ends in a dance-off like Running for Cover on page 60.
There are others that encourage families to have a three-legged race, see who has the best fake trip and fall, or go on a nature walk. You know your kids. Pick one out ahead of time that you think caters best to their interests.
2. Capitalize on a captive audience
If you’re a family with a tight schedule with a bunch of extracurriculars, do it in the car! If you have 10 minutes between showers and hitting the hay, make it part of the wind down! The situation doesn’t have to be ideal for God to get ahold of their hearts. Even if you can’t do every activity because you’re in a moving vehicle, the experience can still be really honoring to God and connecting as a family.
Discipleship happens in the midst of everyday craziness, and that alone has its own lesson baked in: God is not separate from the everyday moments of your life. He is Emmanuel. God WITH us. All the time. Always open for connection.
3. Empower older siblings
If the make-up of your household includes older siblings, you may want to engage them in the discipleship process by giving them more of a leadership role. You can give them a pep talk about how cool it will be for the littles if they show interest in the topic and even lead out by reading the devotional, saying the prayer, or setting up the activity.
Now you’ve gone and taught leadership skills AND a love for the things of God in ONE family connection opportunity. You’re winning at life, mom and dad!
4. Do it in a group
One story that came from our first devotional, The Proverbs Project, is that since her son played on travel ball many Sundays, a mom offered to the team that they’d do one devotional before the warm up. (That’s the picture at the beginning of this blog!)
There’s so much goodness to unpack here I won’t even start because it would take over this whole post. Suffice it to say: I love this so much.
5. Lighten up, mom and dad!
When it comes to modeling this kind of thing with our families, an approximation of the goal matters so much more than perfection. Let go of the ideal and embrace the real. You’re building family memories and lifelong discipleship practices. We want our kids to know that God is into fun, too! How great that they can know Him as approachable, relational, and deeply enjoying kids’ natural tendency for motion and silliness.
If you approach it with a light heart, the kids will be able to associate God with something fun and enjoyable. And that makes their relationship with God that much more of an asset in their lives. Our goal is to build into our kids a faith that spans their entire life and is not dependent on a cool kids or youth ministry but on a God who delights in them and wants to walk with them through every situation they may face in their life.
6. If all else fails, bribe those jokers! 😉
I wholeheartedly believe in the importance of family discipleship and that parents don’t outsource their kids’ spiritual development to church or school alone. I am here to support parents in this endeavor and if you need help thinking through practical ways to do that, I’m available!
If you’re ready to take the plunge but have a little therapeutic support as you do it, I have two family devotionals available on Amazon as part of The Family Wisdom Project.
The Proverbs Project is book one in the series, and geared towards a little younger kid.
The Psalms Project is book two in the series and the ideal audience for this one is a little older, think late elementary school or middle school.
When you engage in your imperfect family discipleship, take a pic and tag us on socials at #thefamilywisdomproject because we love to see it!!
Remember: Regardless of which approach fits your family dynamic best, giving it a shot is way better than just thinking about it. Nothing has to be perfect to make a positive impact on the spiritual development of your family.
