Ministries
Imagine transforming everyday tasks into meaningful moments with the people who matter most, without adding extra hours to your day. What if the secret to growing closer to the Lord and leading your family to Christ lies in the simple habits you are already doing?
One of my favorite things to do is habit stacking. This is the idea of taking an already established habit or task and adding something to it, or stacking it, to create a new habit without a lot of extra effort. I love the intentionality of this, and for me, it has worked over and over again! Habit stacking is a powerful way to seamlessly incorporate discipleship into daily routines with your kids. By building spiritual practices onto existing habits, you can make discipleship a natural and consistent part of your family’s life.
Mealtimes are great ways to habit stack by adding discipleship! You’re already eating meals, you might just need to be more intentional with your timing so your family can sit down and eat together. A great resource for this is Restore the Table by Ryan Rush. He talks about the importance of meaningful mealtimes and how gathering around a table with those we love can help build relationships, improve our quality of life, and go deeper in our walk with God. He discusses this HERE on a podcast through Empowered Homes. If you would like an actual book to use to guide your family in devotions at the table, Dinner Table Devotions is a great place to start. If dinner time is too crazy, try first thing in the morning at breakfast. When my kids were in school, I loved taking advantage of them sitting, still half asleep, and having their mouths occupied. This was a brief, yet intentional time we spent together before the hustle and bustle of running out the door. It gave me an opportunity to sit with them and read a chapter in The Child’s Story Bible by Catherine Vos. We had some amazing conversations because of this routine. Although I faced resistance from them at first, my kids began to ask me to read from the Story Bible and often begged to read one more chapter. It was time well spent together and worth incorporating into our day!
Tip: If you have never tried devotions during mealtimes before, start small. Instead of reading a whole chapter or forcing them to sit through a 30 minute devo, maybe just read one verse or even share a Christ-centered thought, blessing and/or prayer with your kids. Once this habit is established, you can extend your time and have more in-depth conversations. The key is to not give up!
Car rides are another great way to incorporate discipleship. Sometimes it feels like we are in the car more than anywhere else! Why not take advantage of all that time and add some intention? HERE are some after school conversation starters and some “do’s and don’ts”.
What about all the times you are waiting in line somewhere? Oftentimes our first thought is to pull out our phones to check messages and/or scroll through social media. Consider creating a new habit by pulling out some Pocket Prayers instead while you wait. Resist the urge of checking your phone and use the time to pray, mentally recite a Bible verse, or text a word of encouragement to someone. Bring your kids along this journey with you and have them do the same!
The key here is to not feel overwhelmed with discipleship by adding one more thing to your day but instead, to stack a new habit onto what you are already doing. If you start small, once established, these new habits can slowly but powerfully change the course of your life and your children’s lives. As Justin Earley states, “The heart always follows the habit.” So it’s never a bad idea to incorporate good habits into daily life and to teach your kids the value of this concept. A book I would recommend on establishing intentional rhythms around everyday routines is Earley’s book, Habits of the Household. These small, intentional changes help to lay Faithful Foundations as you build a spiritual heritage for your family.