Integrating the Faith at Home – Practical, Innovative Habits

I believe that many Christian parents want to create a home environment that centers around Christ, but free time in the home seems limited. Often, I think it’s the case, that everyone feels rushed. Families are rushing to school, rushing to work, rushing to soccer or baseball…rushing from one day to the next or one activity to the next. Our lives are full. How does one “integrate” faith into a life that feels rushed? Let’s talk about some practical, innovative habits that bring Christ into the home everyday. Some are small habits that fit into the routine of being rushed. Others require a bit of a slow down. I challenge you to consider your family’s life at home, and the emphasis you do (or do not) place on faith in your everyday routine. Are you living your Christian faith in your home?

PRACTICAL, INNOVATIVE HABITS START WITH YOUR IDENTITY

A parent cannot ground a child in a Christian identity if the parent does not know their own identity in Christ. It’s easy to identify as a teacher or doctor or lawyer. It’s easy to identify ourselves within a particular community. We identify as an athlete or reader or gardener. We identify as a mother or father or caregiver. But our first identity should be grounded in who God says that we are.

I like to sum up Christian identity in one statement. I’ve started saying this with my son each night before bed. “Because I’m a child of God, I am loved, chosen, forgiven, and redeemed.” All of these things are declared over us. We do not choose them. We do not create them. They are not based on how we feel or how we see the world. These are the things that God says about who we are. They are unshakeable. Unbreakable. Undeniable. They are the steadfast and true pillars of our identity. Only when you know who your are in Christ, can you radiate that identity throughout your home with the use of practical, innovative habits.

PRACTICAL HABITS NECESSITATE ROUTINES

If you want to build muscle mass, you have to work out regularly. If you want to maintain a healthy weight, you have to consistently choose real food over empty calories. Habits require consistency. They require a level of commitment on the part of the person who is seeking change. Integrating the faith at home is really no different. If we exist within our busy schedules with the attitude that “we’ll get to that later,” our faith will be neglected within our homes. To ground our families in a God-given identity, I think there must be routine.

In my home, we begin the morning with Luther’s morning prayer. We pray at meals. We pray before bedtime. We’ve recently started speaking the truth of our Christian identity before bed. We set time aside to memorize bible passages, hymns, and parts of Luther’s small catechism. While we have not been disciplined about reading the Bible as a family, my son and I are committed to reading the Bible each day during our homeschool time.

I can’t tell you what routines will work in your home. Every home has a different dynamic. Every home has a different schedule and a different level of busyness. That said, I encourage you to choose practical habits that will work within the frame of your family dynamic. If you currently have no habits at all, choose just one or two to start. Don’t feel that you have to accomplish everything on this list at once. While I feel that my family has a lot of practical habits, we are not perfect, and we definitely have room for improvement.

New habits are hard to create. On average, it takes more than two months for a new habit to become authentic. Be consistent. Ask God to help.

EXAMPLES OF PRACTICAL HABITS THAT INTEGRATE THE FAITH

• Pray upon waking
• Pray at meals
• Pray at bedtime
• Set time aside to memorize a bible verse or hymn each week (I know one family that practices this before their dinner prayer each evening.)
• Read the Bible together (Choose a book at a time or go straight through.)
• Attend Bible study at church
• Attend church regularly
• Set aside time to Bible journal as a family

INNOVATIVE HABITS IN AND OUT OF THE HOME

When integrating the faith at home, sometimes it’s our innovative use of time that makes for memorable impact. Busy people spend a lot of time in the car getting places. Busy people wait in line at the grocery store. We’re on the move. These moments need not be wasted. Use them to talk to your children about faith. How does your faith inform the way you see the world? How do you see politics or world events different from a non-Christian? Talk about the value of life. When you see emergency vehicles pass, pray for the injured and for those who serve. If someone treats you poorly on the road, you have an opportunity to show grace over anger. There are a thousand ways that we can bring our faith and our Christian identity into each and every moment.

When out in the world, we have a chance to show our children how our faith makes us different from those in the world. There’s a phrase that goes, “More is caught than taught.” I think there’s some truth to that, but I don’t see that as a reason to stop teaching. Children will see our behavior. They will “catch” our behaviors. But what we teach is also important. I’m a sinner. My behavior isn’t perfect. I approach the world in sin. Because our children see our sin in the world, I think it’s important for us to apologize to our children when we’ve been less than we should have been. That is a teaching moment. Humility. Always point back to our need for a savior.

EXAMPLES OF INTEGRATIVE HABITS THAT INTEGRATE THE FAITH

• Use time in the car to memorize bible passages
• Pray for friends (and enemies) in the school drop off line
• Talk about world events and political happenings in the context of faith (Reinforce the truth that God is ultimately in control.)
• Talk about the value of life
• Apologize for less than Christ-like behavior
• Use every opportunity to point children to our need for a savior
• Look for opportunities to serve others
• Talk about “the world” as it appears in media and music versus the world God intended us to have
• Take time at soccer or baseball practice to read the Bible for personal growth (Let your family see that you are in the word.)
• Talk about faith in the context of sickness, tragedy, and death
• Place value in Christian relationships
• Notice the beauty and grand design of God’s creation

BE ENGAGED

Our culture has massive influence on our children. Our kids are inundated with un-Christian ideas in the tv shows, movies, books, and video games they consume. Non-Christian friends have an influence on our children as well. Ultimately, our children will leave the home and enter a world (in the US) that is increasingly non-Christian. Ideally, we want their identity in Christ to be stronger than what they see in the world. We want their foundation to be built on faith, not on our culture.

As Christians, our life in this world is just a small piece of eternity. When we integrate the Christian faith at home, we do so because we want our children to understand their eternal purpose. Be engaged in the faith. It’s not just something to consider on a random Sunday. It matters everyday. It matters every moment of everyday. You are who you are because God has declared an identity over you. This truth should inform all of our choices in life. This is what we want to pass on to our children.

Remember…there is no perfect home. Pray that your home be filled with Christ’s love. Pray for God’s help as you attempt to integrate practical, innovative habits into your Christian home.

“Because I’m a child of God, I am loved, chosesn, forgiven, and redeemed.”

OTHER POSTS IN THIS SERIES

Integrating the Faith at Home: Raising Children to Know Their Christian Identity

First Week: Genuine Identity

Second Week: Practical, Innovative Habits

Third Week: Unusual Compassion and Grace

Fourth Week: The Value of Christian Relationships

Fifth Week: Introducing Biblical Sexuality

Sixth Week : Faith-Filled Digital Citizens

Seventh Week: Managing God’s Wealth

Eighth Week: Professional and Personal Vocation

For another post that I’ve written on Christian Identity, see Christian Identity and Personal Wellness.