“Enjoy this season with your children—it flies by” is the advice regularly offered to new parents. While well-intended, when the “terrible twos” or teenage years arrive, families may think time flying is a good thing as they feel the stress and strain of new challenges and growing pains. Nevertheless, for the Christian, we have the God-given responsibility and privilege to guide children and teach them about Jesus:
“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old, they will not turn from it.”—Proverbs 22:6, NIV
As children go back to school, lives become busier, and packed days turn into exhausting nights. Taking time as a family to dive into God’s Word offers a respite from a weary world.
Why is it important to do a family devotional?
According to a study conducted by The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), there are notable benefits to prioritizing devotional time as a family. These include:
Stronger families: Families who prioritized doing devotions (including prayer, reflection, and Bible readings), saw a 20% increase in quality time together, leading to strengthened relationships.
Stronger worldview: When open faith discussions are a family priority, especially paired alongside educational conversations, a child’s biblical worldview is reinforced. Parents who did regular devotions with their children felt 12% more comfortable talking about other hard topics with their kids.
Stronger faith: When faith is openly discussed through engaging in family devotions, children feel 15% more comfortable talking to their parents about faith-related topics. This is essential for shaping a strong biblical foundation: It sets the stage for crucial conversations in the teenage and young adult years.
These statistics are especially important considering a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, which showed that when families prioritize faith, more than half of the children say that faith is still important to them in adulthood. In contrast, when faith isn’t prioritized as a family, only 17% say that their faith matters to them today.
This points to the truth already found in the Bible: time spent with the Lord is never wasted.
Daily devotions
Spending time in God’s Word, praying, and having candid conversations form the future for our children’s faith. Even 15-minute family devotions make an impact. Whether it’s a quick chat in the car on the way home from church, or a devotional book reading after dinner, talking about the attributes of God fuels our faith—as a family.
CHM has created a free family devotional for you and your children to use—together. Inside is exclusive access to devotional reflections suited for all ages, suggested Bible readings, discussion questions, and activity ideas for the whole family. Download your copy today.
“…we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which He commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget His deeds but would keep His commands.”
Christian Healthcare Ministries and its members help carry the load for their brothers and sisters in Christ, reflecting the spiritual values outlined in Galatians 6:2.
