The start of a new year and an extended break is a great time to reflect and dream on what has been and what is to come. How often do you do this for your spiritual life? For the spiritual life of your family? If 2020 has shown us anything, it shows that in a moment everything can change. The one thing that doesn’t change, however, is God.
Change is easiest when we take small steps. This is true for our spiritual life as well. What is one thing you could do as a family this year to grow even closer with Him?
Here are some suggestions of ways you and your family can grow together in your walk with Jesus.

Pray

Praying together is a great way to draw closer to God. Here are some simple ideas to get the whole family involved:

  • Create a family prayer box. Setting this up could be a fun school holiday project. The box will encourage you to pray for others, for the world, with gratitude, and for character building.  (If you don’t have access to a printer, let Andrea know to get a printed copy). Supplied by Thinking Kids
  • When you eat together, light a candle to represent God’s presence with you. Each person could say one thing they are thankful for that day, one thing they would like help with, one thing they saw God do that day. Keeping it simple means everyone in the family can be involved and your food won’t get cold!
  • Bedtime prayer time – small children love routines and bedtime is a perfect time to include prayer. Check out this guide which includes suggestions for prayers and blessings. Use one or all. Supplied by Unhurried Living
  • Lunchbox prayers – pop one of these notes into your child’s lunchbox, leave in their room to find in the morning when they wake up, or text them during the day.
  • 7 days of prayer – use this guide to pray for something different each day. Supplied by Minno
  • Prayer journaling pages – if you like a bit of structure, try using some journaling pages or keep a prayer diary. It’s a great way to record how God is moving through your prayer life. Supplied by Faith Gateway

Praying as a family is great, but we also want our kids to have their own prayer life. Check out some ways to do this through the Parenting for Faith course.