It has been about 3 weeks now of doing Bible reading and study after breakfast each day. We have also been reading after supper each night for just over a week. The morning times are just the family, and half the time the evening time involved visitors to our home. It is becoming my favorite times of day, and showing me how I was really missing the boat for a long time.
Our family Bible time used to be part of the day usually, but not always. Some days it was a few verses and conversation, some days listening to the Bible on CD for an hour, and droning out to it, becoming more of a chore than a privilege. Seeing a need to make it more regular, real, and relevant, we decided to make a regular time each day to read, discuss, and reflect on what God was showing us as a family.
Unfortunately, my personal time in prayer and study seems to have dropped off with the busy season working, planting, and a myriad of other things going on. That will change as of now, and I am starting over the right way. That is another post in and of itself, so back to family study time.
Mornings, we read 2 chapters. We started in Matthew and are now finishing Luke. I read aloud mostly, with Nathaniel starting to read aloud some of it also, and everyone follows along. Nathaniel seems to be getting the most out of it, becoming more and more a man each day. He usually has some good insight into the stories, beyond retelling what happened and more expanding on the lessons and thoughts of the story.
Sara sometimes reads along, as we are teaching the baby how to sit still and be quiet. This is still a work in progress, as she is 13 months old. She can sit still, usually quiet, but does not learn anything from the reading. This is, however a time of training, and she knows that when Sara gets out the "quiet blanket"(just a small blanket that she trained her to recognize as special, the same one she sits on during church)that it is time for our family to come together and read. As she gets older, she will be able to listen more, and pick up stories and themes.
Virginia likes to "read along" with us also. She reads a bit more slowly than us old folks, but is sounding out harder words each day. She loves learning to read, and wants to be able to do what Daddy, Mommy, and Nathaniel do. She listens intently (most of the time) and can relay stories and her personal insight. It is important to note that sometimes she misunderstands what happened. Usually upon questioning, she understood the basic story, but may not get the point.
When she is wrong, we don't just giggle and laugh and say "she tried"(the usual response to a child's misunderstanding) but lovingly show her the parts she missed and explain a bit more what it means. I know that I have noticed people just assume children cannot understand the Bible, but that is not true. The opposite is true, if this child is born again (she comprehends and accepts salvation) then she has the Spirit of God living in her, revealing the truth to her. Sure, she needs some help understanding it, but when it explained in language that she understands, you see her desire to live up to God's standards, wishing to be pleasing and acceptable to God.
Nathaniel is growing leaps and bounds in the Lord. He talks about God and things of the Bible constantly, asking lots of questions of myself and Sara. He wants to know, to be taught, and to experience God. I wish we had started this earlier in their lives, but look forward to how God will use this time to build our family.
So, with family time in the Word of God going well, I am now having to adjust my schedule and put my personal time on a regular schedule also. If we get busy, something slips by and before you know it, you have missed days. We don't want that to happen, so I am going to have to start getting up earlier. I will be waking up and spending my personal time before breakfast now, then getting ready for the day (work or not) and doing family reading time. Being a time oriented person, and forgetful too often, making it a scheduled part of the day makes the most sense for me (and most others too).
I hope this has been encouraging to all. When we see the benefits to our family, our walk with God, and all that comes from living a life where God is first, we can truly succeed in life. After all, following God and training our children in the Lord's ways are some of the best measures of success I can think of.
Did you spend time with God today?
Mark
