Coach's Corner

Making Time for Family Devotions

Family devotions are going to take on different shapes and forms depending on your family dynamics, which only you will be able to most accurately gauge. For many Christian families, making time for family devotions is one of the most challenging parts of being a parent. It truly takes discipline and creativity to find ways to help your children engage in faith discussions—but it is not impossible!

You are never too far along in the game to start doing ‘family devotions’.  If your children are older, it might take a little more effort and it might be slow at first but it is well worth it, so don’t lose heart! Keep in mind that the younger your children are, the briefer your devotional time will be. Also, you may want to use a devotional Bible or a story book with more pictures so that your kid’s attention is held longer.

All humans are creatures of habit, so try and stick to a regular “family devotion time” if possible, as this will help to ensure that time together is spent well and not pushed off the daily schedule. Encourage your children to discuss the Bible passage that you have read and to ask questions. If your children are older, encourage them to read the passage along with you or even have them prepare and lead a devotional. This will encourage them to research the passage and will cause them to become more engaged in what they are reading.

If your child is old enough to read, be sure to provide them with a Bible translation that is easy enough to read and understand. If the Bible translation that you have chosen requires your son or daughter to consult a commentary at every second verse, the likelihood of them remaining interested in the Bible will not be as likely. I would recommend translations such as the New International Version (NIV), New International Reader’s Version (NIRV), New Living Translation (NLT), or The Message.

Always keep in mind, family devotions do not simply consist of pulling out the family Bible and discussing scripture, it can and should be extremely practical. For example, family devotions should also mean the devotion that you show to your family. When you show you’re devoted to your kids, they’ll be drawn to you and your life—including your faith.

There may be times when your family devotions move past a regular rhythm of reading Scripture and rather come through acts of love and consideration, reflecting the heart of God. Not only do these actions demonstrate your love for your kids, they also show your love for God without forcing something artificial on them. I am not suggesting that your family shouldn’t read the Bible together or discuss spiritual things; rather, I am suggesting that the thing that matters the most is giving your family the opportunity to see you living your life in such a way that they know that your faith is real. Real faith happens in real life settings!  Walking around Wonderland, flying a kite together, riding your bikes, or throwing the Frisbee are all opportunities and settings to ‘bring our faith’ (Deuteronomy 6).

My family had somewhat of a strange tradition when it came to family time and family devotions. My parents used to join my sister and I in our room each night and my dad would read a chapter or more, depending on how much my sister and I begged, of a novel ranging from “Little House on the Prairie” to the newest prose from Jeanette Oak. There was nothing really special about the books that my sister and I craved to “read”, the pages of these books were often filled with more words than pictures and even the pictures that provided only a glimpse into the plot the written words explored, but rather it was the time spent reading together. We would always cap off bedtime reading rituals with a passage of Scripture and a time of thanking God and bringing any questions or problems to Him.

Some may not consider such a practice to be family devotions, as more time was spent listening to my Dad read the chapters from those books than reading the Bible together. However, those times together have helped to create a firm spiritual foundation in the lives of me and my sister.

I encourage you to make time for family devotions—whether that means setting aside time after dinner three times a week to discuss a passage from the Bible or taking opportunity to pray and connect with your kids on different topics and issues with a Christ-centered perspective. The most important thing is to spend time together making devotion to your God and with your faith your top two priorities.

Posted November 01, 2009