September 2023

SPIRITUAL FORMATION

A message from Spiritual Formation Director, Jay Johnson:

Being a parent of three, I want my kids to love Jesus. These verses in Deuteronomy are so important to our lives.  At one point when questioned, Jesus says that this is the greatest commandment. But the command to love God is just the beginning. The verses that follow are so important for parents. We have to be diligent and intentional to keep pointing our kids to God.  Deuteronomy 6:7 says “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” These verses can be overwhelming or encouraging, instructive and sometimes even crippling. I realized I had to get creative in how to lead my family. This feels like a big task as a parent, but if you start small and are intentional with moments during the day, it is possible. Below are some thoughts on how I saw God work at the start of school this year in my kids’ lives, as my wife and I work to keep our family pointed to Jesus.

It is way too easy to let the day go by without making God part of it.  I have to be so intentional to keep God at the center of it all. For me, this has become the discipline of rising early each morning so I can spend time in God’s word. I know that if I am not growing, my family won’t grow. This simple adjustment to my schedule in the morning grounds me for the entire day. It puts my mind at peace and allows me to see that God is in control of my day. 

Deuteronomy 6:5 gives the command to love God with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my might.  That means that I love God with all that I am. “With all that I am,” means with EVERYTHING that I am. The very next verse instructs, “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.”  I know if I am not at peace, or in a spot where I can see who controls the day, then I can’t make God part of ALL that I am and keep His commandment on my heart.  This simple practice of starting my day with GOD, allows my heart to focus on Him and brings a balance to my world that I know will become busy at any moment.  

Two of our kids were starting new schools for the third year in a row and they were going into school only knowing a couple of kids. They were becoming increasingly anxious over the summer and not wanting to start another new school. We had been praying off and on for a long time and as the day approached we prayed more faithfully.  When the first day of school came, we prayed all day. I thought about how they were doing all day and when I got home, I went and found my kids immediately. “It went good, Dad.” Those words brought so much excitement, but I was not going to stop there. I kept digging for details on what made it good. Once I had those gold nuggets of information, it was easy to ask the question, “So how did you see God provide today?” The response came with a smile and they knew–not only had God answered those prayers but provided abundantly for them.  

It is so important to acknowledge the powerful work God does in our lives. In the days that followed, I asked them each day, “How did you see God provide today?”, and the answers got easier and easier to see.  These moments are so fun and the more you acknowledge, the more you start to see.  

For my family, the start of school brings an increase in activity involvement, plus many work projects.  The month of August is overwhelming at times and with September showing no sign of slowing down,  these intentional moments help me focus and maintain control throughout the day. It keeps my wife and I heading in the direction we choose to go.  None of it is rocket science and definitely not new. It is mostly trying to follow the command above. There are still moments of craziness in our life, but we can take them one moment at a time and always look for how God is providing.

Sometimes a little creativity is so helpful in being intentional. There are a number of good books and podcasts about being intentional as a family. Ultimately, you have to do what is best for your family and it takes work to get to where you want to be as a family. The important part is to start.  I have started and stopped certain intentional practices with different family members over and over, but in the end, I just keep trying to spend time with God and endeavor to be intentional with our family.  My prayer is that you do the same this year.  

Recently, I listened to a great podcast called “Intentional Family Podcast” with Jefferson Bethke and Jon Tyson.  They have some great knowledge and thoughts and the nine episodes are fairly short. Some of what they talk about, I was able to use in our family and some I could not.  I recommend listening if you are looking for something like this in your family. More importantly, keep putting Jesus at the center of your family.