An Old Discipline for the New Year
Thousands of years ago, words of wisdom were written down that continue to guide families today. God commanded families to teach His Word to their children in the mornings when they rise and in the evenings when they lie down (Deuteronomy 6:7).
It seems so simple: to set the Word of God and the teachings of His commands as the bookends of our days; to begin each day by leading our families to enjoy the Gospel and then ending our days with the same.
However, with early morning bus stops, late night dance rehearsals, and weekend ball games, this old and joyful discipline can often become foreign to the busy family.
My wife and I have tried different ways to implement this in our home. Some have caught on and some have failed. Some have carried on for weeks at a time, while others were one-hit-wonders. Currently, my wife encourages our kids to engage the Word of God in the mornings through Catechisms, Scripture memory, and worship through music. In the evenings, we try to have family devotions during dinner that I lead, usually storying through part of the Gospel, asking questions along the way in order to keep the whole family involved. (here's an example of our daughter, Gracie, practicing her Catechisms with my wife/her mommy):
Whether it's a morning devotion and an evening time of saying memory verses before praying next to their bed, or a morning of singing Gospel truths and an evening of reading Bible stories, perhaps your family can begin this new year enjoying an old discipline of engaging your children with the Word of God when you rise and when you lie down.
