Category: Family Devotionals

What David & Goliath Can Teach Your Kids About Being Ready

You and your children have probably heard the story of David and Goliath used to talk about trusting God and courage, but did you know it is also a great story about being ready when God has a good deed prepared for you or your children to do in service to Him? Although we rarely mention it, the story also illustrates the importance of discovering, developing and using the gifts God has given each of your children to serve Him.

Found in 1 Samuel 17, the story tells us that before his battle with Goliath, David was a shepherd. In David’s time, shepherds needed to protect their sheep from predators like lions and bears. In fact, David had to protect his flock from both at one point. Since guns hadn’t been invented yet and hand to hand combat with a lion probably wouldn’t end well for the shepherd, shepherds were slingers.

Slingers learned to use a sling and stones so well that an excellent slinger could release a stone from a sling so that it hit its target with the force of a bullet! Many armies at that time had entire units of slingers. Of course, to reach the level of skill and accuracy needed, a slinger had to put in hours and hours of practice. Since shepherding is generally not the most exciting of jobs, David probably had plenty of time to practice slinging. To have already defeated a lion and a bear, indicates David was a great slinger (even if God did put a little extra something in it for Goliath).

Although David might have had the natural talent to become a great slinger, he wouldn’t have become one without practice. It also didn’t matter how great of a slinger he was, if he did not trust God enough to use his slinging to take on Goliath, he would not have been a part of the story.

It’s often tempting when we have been given a gift by God, to not take the time and effort to develop it to its fullest. Without that hard work, when God has a good work He wants our kids to do using that gift, they may not be ready. While God may use someone else to accomplish His purposes, your child will have missed out on an important opportunity to serve God.

To help your children understand how much practice David needed to be ready to serve God in fighting Goliath, you can mimic the challenge. Take a small scrap of pliable leather. Cut it into a sling sized oval and punch a hole on each end. String a long, thin leather strip through each end, making the final length of both strips equal. For safety, use ping pong balls instead of rocks. Set up a target. Can your kids hit the target? What about from a distance? Obviously, a rock would be difficult to compare exactly to a ping pong ball, but it should give them a rough idea. If they get lucky and hit the target on the first try, point out that slingers needed to hit certain areas for the stone to do enough damage. Can they hit a very small area on the target accurately, from a distance?

Afterwards, point out that David also practiced his music as a shepherd, playing the lyre. He was good enough, that he was asked to move into the palace to play music to soothe King Saul. That gave David an opportunity to observe the duties of a king and learn how to be a king himself (or often what not to do as king) many years before he actually became one.

Talk with your children about their gifts from God. Help them identify at least some of them. Encourage them to develop them so they will be ready to use them for serving God when they have an opportunity. Help them find ways they can use their gift to serve God now. Who knows, you may be raising a child like David – who God wants to use to do something critically important to the Kingdom!

Can the Hygge Fad Enhance Christian Parenting?

New trends often attempt to reverse issues caused by current trends. It’s no wonder then that after several years of living in an isolated, cold, high tech world, the Danish idea of hygge is becoming popular in the U.S. So what is hygge? Is it a good thing? More importantly, can it enhance your Christian parenting efforts?

Before we get too far, hygge is a Danish term pronounced hyoo gah (like the name Hugh and with a hard ”g” in the second syllable). There is no direct translation in English, which of course makes it feel more special and exotic to us. Probably the closest English words would be terms like cozy, homey, warm and fuzzy, comforting, embracing and the like.

While summers in Denmark are pretty close to my definition of perfect – not too hot and daylight hours that basically never end – the winters are cold and very, very dark. Areas like that in the U.S. often have extremely high rates of depression, but the Danes credit hygge for keeping their spirits high – consistently ranking as one of the happiest populations in Europe.

Just like many trends, hygge is not inherently good or evil. A lot depends upon the individual and how he or she incorporates the various common elements. For example, comforting foods and desserts play a large role in hygge. Eaten in moderation, there is nothing particularly wrong with cake. If someone trying to create a hygge environment eats an entire cake at every meal, however, then the sin of gluttony comes into play.

Personally, I believe adding elements of hygge to your home can create the loving Christian home atmosphere most of us want. It encourages children to want to stay home more and invite their friends over. It’s also great for entertaining and we know that hospitality is not only commanded in scripture, but leads to higher success rates in Christian parenting. The good news is that you don’t necessarily have to spend a lot of money to make your home more hygge. If you do decide to purchase items, IKEA can provide low cost items that are hygge since many other Nordic countries have similar ideas.

For a quick primer in hygge, you can read the book The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking. In general, you want low lighting – like that from candles and fireplaces. Unplug from technology and wear comfortable clothes – the fuzzier and cozier the better, so break out the sweats, pjs and fuzzy socks. Food and people play a big role in hygge. Wiking suggests having people bring the ingredients for a meal and everyone work together in the kitchen to cook it (and yes, I too wonder how big their kitchens are). The food tends to be comfort food, so think pasta, potatoes, stews and desserts – their favorites are cakes and chocolates.

The people element is where things get interesting. Think friends and family with everyone having equal time in conversation. There is a sense of gratitude, harmony and a lack of arguments and drama in conversations. Think the perfect Norman Rockwell painting or episode of The Waltons and you are probably close to completing the hygge environment.

This social element has become rare in the U.S. over the last few years because of an anger that tends to accompany any discussion of differences, so you may need to make some rules that everyone agrees to follow until warmth and civility become habits again. The hygge ”rules” should be standard in your home – even when you don’t have guests. Loving, supportive interactions should be the norm in your grateful home.

And don’t forget hugs! The word hygge is thought to be linguistically related to the word hug and hugs are certainly hygge. Not only do they communicate your love for your children, but hugs can reduce stress and lower levels of aggression and anxiety. The old standard was eight hugs a day per person – at a minimum. Even if more recent studies question the exact number, it is still a healthy goal for your family.

So give hygge a try in your home and see what happens. Avoid any possible pitfalls, like gluttony, and embrace the good points. You may find your family is happier and you have more opportunities to teach your children the things God wants them to know.

5 Hidden Times to Teach Your Kids About God on Busy Days

What’s the number one excuse Christian parents give for not teaching their kids about God at home? I haven’t done an official survey, but I am almost positive the answer would be lack of time. Yet some of the busiest parents I know find ways to teach their kids about God daily. They may not have extra hours in their day, but they have learned how to use some hidden time wisely and point their kids to God even on the busiest of days.

Where are these little nuggets of time you can use to teach your kids about God? Here are five of our favorites.

  • Car time. Busy days usually also mean a lot of time in the car. You could probably do an entire family devotional in one trip, but there are other ways you can use this time as well. Try doing drive by prayers with your kids when you pray for the people and things you notice on your drive. Ask them about their day and talk about the things God would want them to know about the choices they made or need to make. Play music that is based on scripture and sing along – they will memorize Bible verses easily when they are lyrics to their favorite songs.
  • Fast food time. You may not sit down at the kitchen table to a home cooked meal, but you can still have meaningful conversations at the table in a fast food restaurant or even in the car in the parking lot if you went through the drive through.
  • Required reading time. Many schools require students to read a certain number of minutes each day. They rarely assign specific books. Why not let your child read from a children’s Bible, the NIrV version of the Bible itself or one of the many Christian books written for children? Some churches still have libraries where you can borrow Christian books for free.
  • Snack time. Many children have an afternoon snack. Instead of tossing the food at them and going about your business, sit down with them. Even on the busiest of days, you can spare five minutes to have important conversations with your kids while they eat their snack.
  • Bedtime. Once children reach school age, many parents stop doing bedtime prayers with their children. Yet most still tuck their children in and have some sort of bedtime ritual. Consider praying over your child, reading a few Bible verses, telling a Bible story or reminding your children “who they are and whose they are” instead of some secular affirmation in your bedtime routine. Those five extra minutes of time spent with you and God can also help calm and soothe your kids, making it easier for them to sleep.

Be creative. If one of your children is waiting with you during the activity of another – you’ve got a nice block of time. Children too old for naps, benefit from an afternoon rest time when you can rest with them for a few minutes, talking about the things God wants them to know. Find what works best for you and your children, but find time somewhere… because even if you attend church and Bible class regularly, your children will still need to get the bulk of their spiritual education from you.

What Lentil Stew Can Teach Your Kids About Making Wise Choices

One of the difficult things to teach children about decision making is how to slow down the process a bit. Snap decisions often have negative consequences, because not every angle was considered before the choice was made. There’s a fun family devotional you can do that will help your children better understand the possible consequences of making important decisions too quickly.

Before starting, you will need the ingredients to make lentil stew. You can find recipes online – here is one recipe that claims to be authentic. Gather your children and have them help you make the stew. As it is simmering, tell them the story of Jacob and Esau found in Genesis 25:27-34. Make sure you explain the importance of a birthright during those times. (By obtaining Esau’s birthright, Jacob would be much wealthier than he would have been after Isaac died.)

Ask your children why they think Esau was willing to trade a lot of wealth in the future for a bowl of stew now. Would he have made the same decision if he had stopped and thought about it a little more carefully? Would Esau have starved to death in the time it might have taken him to get food some other way? Since he wasn’t really dying of hunger, why didn’t he wait a few more minutes rather than giving Jacob his birthright?

After they have thought about Esau’s poor decision making, ask them to think of times when they perhaps make decisions too quickly. What negative consequences could they have avoided if they had taken a little more time to think about the possible consequences of each option? Why is it important to take time to think and pray before making important decisions? If they are engaged in the discussion, teach them decision making tools, like listing all of their possible options and the pros and cons for each one.

After the devotional, encourage your kids to slow down, think and pray before making any major decisions. Remind them that they don’t want to be like Esau, regretting trading their birthright for a bowl of lentil stew.

Starting the School Year With A Family Devotional

School starts back in just a few days in some districts. Others of you may have another month before the first day of school. No matter when your kids head back to class, why not start the year out right with the first of what could be a year of important, practical family devotionals?

The book of Proverbs is a great way to teach children and teens the practicality and importance of following God’s wisdom and obeying His commands. Wisdom is a great theme to discuss with your children throughout the school year. What is knowledge? What is wisdom? Can one have lots of knowledge, but little wisdom? Is it possible to be wise without knowledge? How do the things they are learning each day in school fit into the ongoing discussion of knowledge and wisdom? How might they use the things they are learning to serve God?

Choose a time for your devotional that is unlikely to be interrupted by activities. If your children are particularly exhausted in the morning or the evening, try to pick the time when they are most alert. Tie your family devotionals to something you do every day, like eating a particular meal, when they are eating an after school snack or at bedtime. Don’t make them too long. If they are particularly interested in the verses you have read, you can continue your discussion off and on throughout the day.

Proverbs has 31 chapters, containing 915 verses. Since the school year lasts 180 days, that means you only need to cover an average of about five verses each school day. Or you can cover more and go through the entire book more than once during the year. Don’t get too rigid about the number of verses each day. Some days a thought might take ten verses, while other days just one verse can spark a lively discussion. End each devotional time praying over your children, their teachers, friends and schools. It’s a great way to keep your kids focused on being who God wants them to be every day at school.