Sometimes Family Devotions Seem Pointless…

This evening, family devotions consisted of the last half of Romans 4.

There are lots of big words in there.

When I asked Meagan, our 6 year old, if she knew what justification was, she grunted, shrugged her shoulders, and slouched on the table as she rolled her eyes and pointed at her older sister.

“Typical,” I thought, “another family devotion bust”.

I relented and asked her sister…

When I asked 10 year old Kaitlyn what justification was, she responded that it meant to make someone just.

Pointing to the last verse of chapter 4, I asked her how Jesus’ resurrection made us just…but before she could answer Meagan piped up, “because Jesus paid for our sins and lives.”

Afterwards, Meagan asked if she could pray to close, probably cuz she wanted to go and play, but I agreed.

Her first sentence was, “God thank you for our justification.”

I smiled.

So my advice to all you parents out there who struggle with seemingly mundane or pointless devotions… Keep it up.

Even if it seems to be not accomplishing anything.

Keep on doing family devotions even if they are very young, or grunters, or slouchers, or whiners, or eye rollers, or just want to go outside to play.
Don’t underestimate the power of the Word and Spirit in the lives of your kids, even just 10 minutes per day of stumbling through it. After 18 years that is a lot of 10 minute sessions of Word and prayer.

Keep it up.

God will do the rest.

SDG