Public schools in America give us a beautiful gift around this time of year: summer.
Summer translates into many different words for us all: words like beach, pool, relaxation, family trips, BBQs, and vacation just to name a few. In the middle of all those, it’s easy to miss the most important word that summer should translate into: FAMILY.
While summer is one of the few seasons that we have to be very focused on our family, we all too often miss the opportunity because we’re too concerned about our own needs.
For family to work well it requires our priority to be shifted from me to we.
This summer could be vitally important to your family…
This could be the summer God impresses upon your child that their identity is wholly rooted in Jesus.
This could be the summer that your marriage regains it’s past passion.
This could be the summer that the whole trajectory of your family is altered for generations.
How can you make this summer matter?
The answer is simple… MAKE JESUS A CENTRAL PRIORITY!
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says “These commandments that I give you today are to be on 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.”
Here are three moments that God instructs us to capture and use to infuse the love of Jesus into our family life:
DOWN TIME (“when you sit at home”) – Your children are never going to be comfortable at rest, which they need, if they don’t see you model it. Sitting down together and talking should be a regular part of your family’s rhythm. My family did this over dinner every day growing up. Our family does this after dinner now. Find a time and make it routine.
TRAVEL TIME (“when you walk along the road”) – If you’re going on a vacation or just taking them to ball practice, there’s travel time this summer. Put the DVD players away, sequester the cell phones, and have a conversation while you travel. Spending 4 hours in a car together? Sounds like a great time for a family devotion to me!
BED TIME (“when you lie down”) – I have a friend who’s children are now grown and very successful. I asked him what he did that I could replicate as a parent. He told me that every night he’d give his children the ability to stay up as late as they wanted with one rule… once it was bed time, they had to be in bed and talking to him. He said they’d ask him questions about Jesus and life while “they thought they were just delaying their bed time, but they were really giving me a chance to disciple them and shape their future.”
This could be the summer God moves in your family. You don’t want to miss that!
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Our friends at the Village Church in Texas produced a guide for their families this summer full of a ton of ideas to capture this summer for your family.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD: Village Church Summer Family Activity Book
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What other ideas do you have to make Jesus the central figure in your summer?