Keeping Jesus at the Center of Your Family
We hear the phrase “Christ-centered home” a lot, but what does that mean and how do we achieve that? We think that it means Jesus is a family member, you ask Him for help, you share your highs and lows and everything in between, and you praise Him often. For some of us this comes more naturally than others. And that is okay! If you are not sure how to keep Jesus at the center of your family, we have some ideas to get you started!
Find a church you love
We are big believers that lasting faith happens at home. What you do with your kids outside of church will leave a big impact on their faith…that’s why we run this ministry. But we also love the church. We both have worked or do work in churches. Children’s and youth ministry have been a big part of our lives and we think it’s important! Sometimes it is hard to find a church that you love. If you are church shopping, ask yourself a few things: Does this church line up with what I believe theologically? Is this church mission minded? Does this church have programming for all of the members of my family?
Find a few good devotionals
Family devotionals are awesome. But let us be clear….this is not meant to put pressure on you! You don’t have to do it perfectly! And by that I mean, if you miss a day, it’s fine! I think that people skip doing devotionals or reading the Bible with their family because they don’t have the perfect time to do it during the day or it feels like too much to add. We encourage you to find a book that you love and that your kids enjoy, read it when you can, and build from there. Start small! Here are some devotionals and Bibles that we love:
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Pray together
We obviously think that praying together is really important. God longs to be in relationship with each of us and that involves communicating with Him. But prayer does not have to be intimidating. If you are looking to pray more often with your family, start by saying a simple prayer before bedtime and meals. Consider adding in the Lord’s Prayer or blessing your kids before they go to school. If you are struggling to find the right words to say, try this:
“Jesus, thank you for this meal we are about to have together. Thank you for this family and all the blessings that we have. We want to center our lives around you, so help us to seek after you with our whole hearts. We love you, Amen.”
Read your Bible together
Lifeway recently published a study that they spent years conducting. They surveyed thousands of families on parenting and encouraging lasting faith in kids. When the study was finished, they made a list of the top ten things that made the biggest impact on a kid’s faith. Do you know what the number one thing was? Reading the Bible. Scripture! God’s Word and Truth! So let’s surround our kids with it. We love children’s and youth Bibles, but don’t feel too much pressure to buy the perfect one. Start with the Bible that you already have, God can reach your kids with your “adult” Bibles too! Start by reading a story about Jesus performing a miracle or a short Psalm. Eventually you can read more and more and learn God’s Word together
Change your language
We say this a lot when we speak to parenting groups: there is power in language. If you simply change your phrasing, it’s easy to take a simple, everyday moment and make it into a faith-filled moment. For example:
Instead of saying, “Wow look at the sunset!” say, “Wow! God painted the sky! What colors do you see?”
Instead of saying, “Have a great day at school, I love you!” say, “May the Lord bless you and keep you, have a wonderful day! I love you and so does Jesus!”
You’re still saying very similar things, but by including God in your language and praising Him or acknowledging Him, your kids are learning that He is always present and is part of your family.
Build a family mission statement
A family mission statement is simply a list of things that your family values, strives for, and expects. It can include:
A family belief statement.
Family values.
Ways your family wants to bless others.
Ways your family wants to grow closer to Jesus.
Ways your family wants to grow closer together.
General dreams, goals, and plans.
These mission statements are cool because it’s something that you can all plan together and then rally around. It comes in handy when you have to make decisions, plan your year, or even discipline and guide your kids. If the idea of creating your own family mission statement is overwhelming to you…we are here to help!
We wrote a family Bible study on the beatitudes called Living Like Jesus. It’s a 10 day study that teaches what the beatitudes are, what Jesus says about the beatitudes, and how we can use the beatitudes to live our lives like Jesus. It’s filled with scripture, discussion questions, prayers, and fun activities. At the end of the 10 days there is a guide to help you craft your own family mission statement. We hope you love it! You can purchase it here.
