Season 3 | Blog 19
I’ve always loved the beginning of September. The evenings are getting cooler and a few leaves are starting to turn colour. There’s the sounds of students heading to school in the mornings and a general air of excitement as everyone starts a new year. It can be a mixture of anticipation and anxiety as our children wonder who their teacher will be and whether their friends will be in the same class. New school supplies and backpacks are all ready to go. The way they dress and pack for school likely looks different this first week than it will a few weeks from now when they get more settled and relaxed about routines.
We can spend a fair bit of time and energy (and sometimes money!) helping our children get ready for the new school year. Are we also being intentional about creating or maintaining good faith habits and routines as well? I’ll confess that I haven’t always been intentional about this. While the first week is exciting it’s also a bit chaotic and the busyness and urgency of getting everyone off to school (preferably on time) takes over thoughts of spending time in prayer with my child.
I think it is important to think about how we want to send our children off for the day, though. We want them to know that, whatever they encounter through their day, they are loved and Jesus is with them.
“I’m an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back; I’m never out of your sight.
You know everything I’m going to say before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there, too—your reassuring presence, coming and going.”
Like the psalmist reflects on in Psalm 139, we want our children to know that wherever they are and whatever they are doing, God’s “reassuring presence” is with them. He goes on to say,
“Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark! At night I’m immersed in the light!”
It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.”
Whether our children are feeling alone or scared about school (even exciting new things can feel scary at times), or they have anxious dreams at night, Jesus sees them and is with them. We want to create intentional daily rhythms that help our children connect with Jesus and his love for them.
So what does it mean to be intentional about this? It can mean planning ahead of time what you want to do, thinking through when you want to have these rhythms, or even having the tools you need (like Bibles, apps on your phone, or a devotional book). It also means experimenting and trying different things to see what works best for your family.
It could look like having a devotion and discussion during breakfast, praying together as your children are all ready to head out the door, or even tucking a note with a Bible verse, encouraging words, or prayer in their lunchbox. Maybe mornings aren’t the best time for your family. Depending on your family’s rhythms, maybe it’s in the evening before that you have a time of prayer or family devotion. Or it could be a bedtime routine of talking about Jesus and to Jesus with your child. Another key time is after school or daycare, when you hear about your child’s day and you can take time to pause and thank Jesus for the joys and pray about any sorrows.
We want to create spaces in our day that we are intentional about leading our children in their relationship with Jesus. We need to live it out in front of them (we’re doing it too, not just talking about it) and we’re practicing it with them. This will give them a great start to the school year, no matter what challenges they encounter.
Here are some more practices you could incorporate faith at home in your day. Choose one or all of them, depending on what works for you and your family.
Taking time to memorize Bible verses together. This is a great way to help our minds focus on Jesus. If you’re like me, having some actions that go along with the verses are helpful. Kinetic or body movements are a way God has created us to help us remember things. Have your children help you make up actions that go along with the verse. Practice it at a meal time together or another time of the day that builds a routine to do it. There’s no time limit to how long it takes to memorize – if it takes you a week or a month it’s still a valuable practice.
Teaching your child a breath prayer. This incorporates two valuable practices – regulated breathing that is scientifically proven to help us calm down along with bringing our focus on God. Start by practicing the breathing – breathe in through the nose for a count of four and breathe out through the mouth for a count of four. It’s a nice slow breath. Then add the prayer. You can pray a short verse or phrase. For example: (breathing in) The Lord is my Shepherd; (breathing out) I have everything I need. Repeat that for 30-60 seconds. Using Psalm 139, you could do a prayer like this: (breathing in) Jesus you are always with me; (breathing out) when I go to school and when I come home.
Gratitude is another great practice. Practicing gratitude is another proven way to help us change our attitude about how we experience life. Maybe it’s a suppertime or bedtime routine to have everyone share three things they are thankful for. It can be anything from a friend showing up to help to a favorite stuffie or food item in their lunch or supper.
Family devotions are another way to practice faith together and remind each other of God’s presence in our lives. Here’s a free app that is tailored for families. You can listen to it being read or you can pass it around and have different members of the family read: Lectio 365 Family. You can find other free family devotions on the YouVersion Bible app .
Whatever you choose to do, it’s important to have consistency. Our relationship with Jesus isn’t just for one day or a couple days a week – we need, and our children need, to connect with our Savior every day and multiple times a day. As parents, it’s part of our job to model this and practice it with them. Remember, you’re not doing this alone – you have a community of faith to encourage and support you and you have God’s Spirit in you. So ask for help when needed and see how you can be an encouragement to others as well.
Sarah has been Pastor of Children & Families at The Journey Church for seven years. Her passion is to see families growing in their faith with Jesus together and living it out in their homes, neighborhoods, and schools, as well as being deeply connected with their church family. To find out more about The Journey Church ministries go to onthejourney.ca. To contact Sarah you can email her at sarah@onthejourney.ca.