Family Devotional Nightmare

You definitely don’t want to do what I did. I thought I was fully prepared for our family devotional night: Bible and lesson plan—check; television off—check; kids—check. However, in hind-sight, I can see now the whole thing was doomed.

 

Rookie Mistake #1: I put all three children, ages eleven, nine, and six, in the same room. But, wait, isn’t that the family part of family devotional night? I thought so too, but I quickly learned my error.
Rookie Mistake #2: Not only was there typical sibling discord about seating arrangements and whose foot was touching whose body, but there was also a vast disparity in reading abilities and comprehension. The older children, bored after quickly writing the Bible verse in their notebook, fidgeted and fussed while I helped the youngest with spelling. It only got worse.
Rookie Mistake #3: I thought my daughters would appreciate the wisdom and insight of their big brother. I’ve never been more wrong. Whenever I asked a question, he smugly blurted out the answer. No one else had a chance to respond. The night ended with the girls in tears, my son chastised, and a personal vow never to repeat that drama.

 

Now, after much trial and error, I’ve devised a plan that works for my family. In coordinating your own devotional night, maybe I can save you a lot of frustration. Here are a few suggestions:

 

Family Bible Study Tips

1) Keep it Age Appropriate: My six-year-old enjoys reading a comic book style Bible. She practices reading and sees God’s Word in picture format. For my nine-year-old daughter, I found a topical Bible study on friendships. It comes complete with magazine-style quizzes, sample prayers, and Bible verses revealing Jesus as her True Friend.

2) Keep it Interesting: Use computers to your advantage. I challenge my eleven-year-old son to study scripture on reputable websites. After we read the verse, he writes it in his notebook and then we discuss. It’s simple, but appealing to a pre-teen. These sites have been a great hit with our family: www.bible.org and www.blueletterbible.org.

3) Keep it Personal: Family Bible study doesn’t necessarily mean group-time. From now on, my motto is “one parent, one child”. Each morning before school, my son and I read scripture and pray together. But, that technique doesn’t work for my daughters. They enjoy time alone with me at bedtime, when we read a Bible verse, pray, and talk about their day.

 

I’ve learned a lot since that aspirin-inducing event—my kids have too. It’s not just reading the Bible that counts, but discovering how God created each child to learn, know, and love Him. Kids aren’t interested in busy work, but they jump at the chance to spend quality time with Mom or Dad. 

 

—Carrie Cooper, M.S

Carrie is an author and speaker and founder of Comfort & Compassion Ministry. Visit her website at www.comfortandcompassion.com or discover her blog at www.comfortedbyGod.blogspot.com .