Welcome to the first blog post of March 2022! The weather here is warming up and I’m already noticing a few weeds poking through the grass in the yard here at our new house. I’m not someone who enjoys yard work, so it’s a good thing my husband likes getting out there! It will be fun to see what he does with the landscaping as we get into spring and summer.
No matter what stage of life you’re in – single, newlywed, parenting young children, or the empty nest – as Christians, our goal can always be to have a Godly home. We influence the people who live there as well as those who visit. So how do we start thinking about cultivating a Christ-centered home?
You’re likely familiar with Joshua 24:15. “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
It’s a choice. In this passage, Joshua lays out the options for the children of Israel and tells them to make a decision. And then he makes it clear to them what his choice will be. In the same way, we can commit to doing the best job that we can to have a Godly focus in our homes.
So once we make that decision, what’s next? How might we put that into practice? Here are five things we can do to have a Christ-centered home.
1. Make God’s Word a priority.
This starts with us individually spending time in our Bible. Then it can extend to having a family Bible time. It doesn’t have to be long and drawn out, but find a few minutes in the day – maybe before or after a meal, or at bedtime – when everyone can gather to read and talk about a Scripture verse and pray.
As you’re working around the house, you can play Christian podcasts or listen to sermons online. If your child is memorizing Bible verses for a kids’ program at church, work on that together. Talk through what the verse means and how it might apply to their lives.
2. Use prayer as a first resort.
If your child comes home from school talking about an issue with a teacher or a friend, what’s your first response? Mine was usually to find out the details and decide if I needed to intervene in any way.
You know what would have been the best first step? To pray about it. Just right then and there. Pray for whoever else was involved, pray for your child, pray for wisdom on how to deal with the situation.
That’s just one example, but in so many issues that arise in our homes, prayer is the best first response. There may be other actions we need to take, but taking it to God first can give us peace and direction.
3. Choose good music and play it often.
We have an Amazon Echo in our living area, so it’s easy to ask Alexa to play a playlist for us – and it’s still not something I do regularly enough! You could also make singing part of your family Bible time. Sing a hymn or a chorus – and if someone plays an instrument and can accompany the family, even better!
4. Focus on attitudes as much as actions.
It’s usually a lot easier to correct or discipline our kids for actions instead of attitudes. It can take more time to drill down into a bad attitude and figure out what’s really going on in your child’s heart.
We want to encourage our children to be grateful, considerate of other family members, full of joy, and so much more. As my dad always said, “Attitude is everything.” Get that right, and the actions will tend to correct themselves.
5. Have open discussions about everything.
Whether it’s around the supper table, sitting on their bed at night, or riding in the car, be approachable. Don’t shut down when they bring up certain topics. You may need to tailor your answers based on what’s age-appropriate. But help your kids feel comfortable talking about anything from spiritual questions to friend breakups to something strange that they heard about from kids at school.
As these conversations come up, use principles you know from God’s Word to guide the discussion. Help your children see that no matter what they’re up against, they can find help, encouragement, and guidance from Bible principles.
I’ll confess that I’m convicted about doing better in all of these areas! May each of us ask God to show us how we can have homes that bring honor and glory to Him.
Related posts:
- Are We Keeping Traps Out of Our Homes?
- A Powerful Prayer of Blessing for Your Family
- What Makes a Happy Home?
I feel like I really excel at #5 – I lovelovelove having the hard convos with my kids. I feel the Holy Spirit speaking most clearly & confidently through me in those times – so precious.
I love that!! What a blessing that your kids feel comfortable coming to you and talking through issues.
I love listening to hymns, but I forget to turn the music on. So I needed the reminder. 🙂 And I’m trying to make Scripture more of a priority by putting up verses around the house.
Yep, that’s me, forgetting to turn the music on!!