My name is Adrienne, and several years ago I started asking
the same question that is probably in your mind right now: “So what does it mean to be a faithful family?” Sounds kind of intimidating, right? I had just been
hired by my home church, Mattis Avenue Free Methodist, (www.mattisave.org) as
the Assistant for Family Ministry, and this term "faith at home" kept coming up as I
learned more about how to minister to families. So I did some research, and the same Bible verses kept popping up over and over again: Deuteronomy 6, verses 5-9. Now before I lose you right off the bat with an Old Testament reference, listen to Moses share God’s commands with the Israelites, and ask yourself if they ring true today:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates”.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates”.
Timeless commandments, right? I was
raised in a "faithful" family, so I know firsthand the difference it has made in my
life. I remember now that my dad even chose to read that Deuteronomy passage at my wedding! When I read the words "as you sit at home" I'm transported back to the black pleather recliner in our living room where I would sit during family devotions at night. "Walk along the road" reminds me of the many trips in our little Toyota with the local Christian radio station on. I realize we weren't walking, but the principle is the same. As commanded, my parents were impressing their faith on us day by day.
Now as a follower of Christ, wife and mom of two, now it's my turn in the trenches. The intellectual side of me knows that if faith is going to stick and make an eternal difference in my kid’s lives, they’ve got to see it lived out at home.- not just in the 1 or 2 hours of 168 (yes, that’s right!) that they might be at church during the week! Let’s be honest, though. I’m human. You’re human. We all make mistakes, and get busy cooking dinner and working and changing diapers and running to soccer practice and helping with homework, and dealing with the "Rapunzel" moments in life (you know, a moment like when your kids decide to act out the ending of Tangled, where they cut off Rapunzel's hair, and an innocent looking child delivers you a chunk of hair that looks like this, which just so happens to be missing from her sister's head!?!):
Now as a follower of Christ, wife and mom of two, now it's my turn in the trenches. The intellectual side of me knows that if faith is going to stick and make an eternal difference in my kid’s lives, they’ve got to see it lived out at home.- not just in the 1 or 2 hours of 168 (yes, that’s right!) that they might be at church during the week! Let’s be honest, though. I’m human. You’re human. We all make mistakes, and get busy cooking dinner and working and changing diapers and running to soccer practice and helping with homework, and dealing with the "Rapunzel" moments in life (you know, a moment like when your kids decide to act out the ending of Tangled, where they cut off Rapunzel's hair, and an innocent looking child delivers you a chunk of hair that looks like this, which just so happens to be missing from her sister's head!?!):
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| Chunk of hair from our "Rapunzel" moment! |
…. well, the list of what keeps life as a parent busy goes on and
on. So how can we make faith a natural part of our family’s daily life?
That’s the point of this blog. Resources, tips, ideas, thoughts for helping those with kids at home
live out their faith in a meaningful way, and impress that faith on those
kids! We're doing this to make an eternal difference! As a parent on this journey, I can tell you that there's little that's more encouraging than getting a drawing like this from your 6 year-old that shows she's starting to "get it":
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| happy people drawing |
Translation: "God loves me and you. He loves our parents. And he loves our families. He loves his creation".
No matter where you live, if you’re actively parenting a
child, hopefully you’ll find some ideas to encourage you. If you attend Mattis Avenue Free
Methodist Church, or are located in the Champaign-Urbana Illinois area, you’ll
find additional ways to connect locally.
Blessings on you and your family! I look forward to growing with you.
Adrienne
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