Family devotionals are tough. We all have the best of intentions, but it seems like most of us accomplish family devotionals sporadically at best. One of the problems is keeping it interesting for kids and easy for parents. So, I’m always on the lookout for family devotional resources to help.
Recently, I was offered the opportunity to review 52 Weekly Devotionals For Busy Families by Karen Whiting. This great devotional guide is brand new and could provide just what you have been wanting. For me, the best part is that it is divided into weekly devotionals, but not daily ones within that framework. Which means you can stay on track – and not become discouraged – if you have a crazy week and only one devotional or a more normal week when you have five or six devotionals.
Within each devotional, the reader is given a theme verse for the week and a longer scripture reference of about a chapter or less. The longer scripture is usually connected to a Bible story. Whiting provides a short devotional reading similar to what you are familiar with in other devotional books. What I really appreciate though is that she took the effort to add three or more activity ideas, two or more ideas for creating a family devotional journal or scrapbook and three or more discussion prompts.
Have you ever thought about why Jesus used parables at times to teach people? Perhaps it was because he was trying to help the people understand concepts that were difficult to understand or entirely new to them. Jesus knew that by comparing them to relatable things and circumstances, they could better understand the lessons he wanted them to learn.
God’s love for us is at the very root of Christianity. I’m sure you are teaching your kids to love others. Love is complicated though. It’s not just butterflies in your stomach or finding a friend who enjoys the same things you do. True agape love is loving people even when you have nothing in common with them. It’s the ability to love people even if you don’t particularly like them at the moment. It’s even what makes it possible to love our enemies.
One of the most important gifts you can give your children is the ability to see God is alive and working in our world today. Some parents struggle with how best to show God to their kids. They get wrapped up in the difficulties of explaining God when He isn’t visible in the room. Sometimes their children will grow up to reject God because no one ever taught them where to look for Him.
I am a huge fan of family devotionals. To me, it’s not the formality of it that’s important, but rather the subtle and not so subtle messages having regular family devotionals give to your kids. If you didn’t grow up having devotionals in your home, you may be a bit intimated by the idea. Perhaps you feel you don’t know enough yourself to be teaching your kids about the Bible. I am confident you can do it, but I totally understand wanting the reassurance a family devotional book can give.