No Place Like Home: Creating A Pathway for Spiritual Disciplines in the Home
In a recent study I conducted between parental spiritual maturity and spiritual discipline practices in the home, two key takeaways were noted. First, spiritually mature parents felt less confident to teach their children about the Gospel. Second, prayer was the least practiced spiritual discipline. Therefore, I created a HOME Model to help parents become the primary spiritual caregivers, as was intended from the beginning.
H – Habitual Spiritual Disciplines – We want spiritual disciplines to become a habit. Rather than start a checklist of all the things to accomplish, begin small. Use theologically sound resources. Calendar in when spiritual disciplines will take place.
O – Obedience in Christ – The Bible provides evidence of what happens when parents remain obedient in God’s Word and the consequences of those who disobey God and neglect their biblical mandate.
M – Meaningful, yet age appropriate, conversations. Meaningful conversations can be about small and large decisions – job promotions, moves, colleges, etc. Hard situations may involve death of a loved one, global/local crises, a medical diagnosis, etc.
E – Every Day Life – Families are primarily together at meals, in the car, and at bedtime. Spiritual discipline practices do not have to have this fancy setup but can be done as you are going.
The HOME model is the start, but creating a pathway will help maintain spiritual disciplines.
- Set attainable goals. Make your goal vague to give room for flexibility.
- Have someone outside your family to hold you accountable through the triumphs and trials of leading your children.
- If you have a big age gap, focus on disciplines that work best for the youngest. Involve the older kids by asking them to lead in the moment.
- Use a journal to help evaluate your progress. Make changes as needed.
Start with prayer, Bible study, and worship because they are the easiest spiritual disciplines to practice across the lifespan of a child. The examples below are tools you can take or change to best fit your household.
- Worship – Listen to worship songs in the car. Ask your preschooler, “What does this song say about God?” When at home, discuss what God made on your plate. At bedtime, sing a worship song. Allow elementary children to request worship songs in the car and discuss why they chose those songs. While at the dinner table, converse about big words heard in worship. At bedtime, read a chapter in Psalms. Discuss with your preteen in the car about the songs they are singing at youth group. Engage in a worship night at home. Allow your older children to pick the songs and lead. Before bed, compare worship songs to Scripture. Emphasize the importance of understanding what we sing to and about God.
- Bible Study – While in the car, listen to Scripture and emphasize to your preschool children that what they heard was true. While at the dinner table, discuss a characteristic of God, like love. Before bedtime, use a full Old Testament and New Testament, hand-held Bible. Allow preschoolers to hold and touch the Bible as you read. Listen to Scripture in the car with your elementary children and discuss what it says about God. Read the Bible as a family at home. Allow children to read the verses or plan the family devotion. At bedtime, discuss big words heard in Scripture. While in the car with your preteens, have them read the Bible out loud and dialogue what it says about God, but also what we should do as believers. Participate in a Bible study together. Discuss theological concepts at bedtime. “The question of the day is…”
- Prayer – Pray with your preschoolers when you see or hear an emergency vehicle. Pray before mealtimes. Teach and model prayer. While in the car, with your elementary student, pray for the day. Create a family prayer journal at home. At bedtime, pray through Scripture. When you have preteens in the car, discuss how God answered prayers. During a meal, ask how God worked in their lives during the week. At bedtime, discuss prayers that God has yet to answer. Do not give false theology or false hope; yet encourage them to keep praying. God still hears us and wants to be part of our lives.
There are a variety of ways to engage in spiritual disciplines with your children, but the key is to start. Do not wait for a proper time or a calm season. Begin today because we are in a battle for our next generations, everlasting consequences are on the line.