The Art of the Family Devotional
Honestly, there is no “art” to the family devotional. A good family devotional time is developed over time through trial and error and changes with the tides of life. The main ingredient is consistency, with a little bit of stubbornness mixed in so that you can stick with it when it seems like it’s not working. Each family should develop the “art” that works for their particular dynamic and personality.
As for our family, we have tried family devotionals at various times and in different seasons of our lives. The most productive, consistent and enjoyable devotional time for our family was when we were doing weekday devotionals as a part of our homeschool. Our three boys were about the ages of 5, 7 and 9 when we started. We kept this up for several years until our life circumstances changed and the devotionals slowly went by the wayside. I have really missed that daily bonding time with my kids.
The “art” that worked for our family in those earlier days was to start each homeschool day with a devotional from a book. We had several daily devotional books that we used and we just started from the beginning and worked through each one regardless of the date. We would gather together in the living room, I would read a devotion and ask for comments. Most days good conversation would be spurred by what we read. Sometimes we would spend 10 minutes and sometimes I would have to stop them at 30 minutes (a parent’s dream!). Each of us would then pray. In these prayers, we would often intercede for people in our church or ask God to provide for specific needs in our family. Through this devotional time, we were able to disciple our children on how to spend time with God, how to pray, and how to think biblically about everyday situations.
We all looked forward to our devotional time each school day morning. Not only was it a great way to disciple them, but it also worked as a transition from breakfast to the beginning of the school day. Our favorite devotional was 365 Devos for Boys Who Love Sports (ISBN 978-1-60587-136-3). Our boys are all about sports and this devotional contains quotes from famous Christian sports figures and other leaders. I believe that kids need to see that people they admire are followers of Jesus Christ. There are many devotionals books available for children and families that cover a wide variety of different interests. I urge you to select one that fits your family best – and remember, you can always try something else if that book (or a particular daily devotion) doesn’t strike a chord with your children. Be flexible and use whatever sparks conversation with your kids. The goal is to connect and to disciple.
By far, my most cherished parenting moments are when I have truly connected with one of my children. Steady, consistent devotionals not only provide an opportunity to bond with kids on a spiritual level, it also provides a non-threatening forum to discuss relevant life issues and hear their thoughts. Devotionals can work as a springboard to teach family values in a non-preachy way. Learning to have these discussions in the context of a devotional gives parents and children the experience of these meaningful conversations and encourages them to happen more frequently and naturally as we go about our day.
I consider our devotional time to be one of the most productive teaching times in the life of our family. I urge you to give it a try and, as Mema used to say, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”