May 30

May 30 Making the Most of Summer by Discipling Your Children

Discipling Children, motherhood, Parenting

Summer is almost here and we have a great opportunity to use this special season to really dig in with our children and disciple them!

Most schools are out, and if you homeschool like we do, you have the power to fine tune your summer's focus!

While many people spend hours planning their family vacation, I challenge you to pursue intentionality in discipling your child this summer. It will take some planning.

Here are a few key questions to help you get started.

What schedule do you want to put in place this summer? (ie: when to read the Bible, journaling, prayer time, maybe some other spiritual disciplines like servanthood?)
What habits and disciplines do you want to teach and see developed in your child?

If this sounds like something you would like to do, but you don’t know quite where to start, I want to encourage you, first, with a little vision.

This is your opportunity to reconnect with your child, to focus on developing a better relationship, spending quality time together, and really getting to know each other better!

Your child imitates you, so be a good example! If they never see you studying the word of God, chances are, they won’t either. Discipleship, as modeled by Christ, is the act of walking with your followers and showing them what the life of a faithful man or woman is to look like, and teaching them to do as you do.

Discipling your child can look as simple as inviting them along with you as you live out your faith and spiritual disciplines.

Invite them to join you in your time with God. Institute a household quiet time where everyone spends alone time with God, either reading the Bible, praying, or journaling prayers, etc…

Duet. 6:4-9 says,

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord Your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shalt talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

This passage of Scripture is a perfect instruction template for parents in how to disciple their children. We are to discuss and obey the Lord’s commandments and Words, when we sit in our houses playing board games and while having conversations about modern day politics.

We are to talk about the Lord’s ways and instructions as we are out and about running errands! We are to talk about the Lord throughout the day, sharing our dreams, our prayers, our thoughts about what He is teaching us, while we are driving to swimming and when we are sitting in a boat on vacation. We should be writing them down, memorizing them, preaching Scripture to ourselves, and having them placed randomly around our home so that they preach to our children as well.

A Summer Challenge for Moms:

Carve out some time to go to a coffee shop by yourself or on a date with your husband and plan out some key spiritual disciplines you feel led by the Spirit to instill in your family this summer. This should include evaluating where each child and relationship is at spiritually. Are you kids saved? How can you challenge them?

Get a new journal and write out your goals for your kids, and your relationship with them. Commit to prayer journaling every day or every week of the summer for your relationship with your child and their relationship with God.

Commit to ONE new spiritual discipline, whether it be doing devotions with your kids every morning, or taking them on a weekly hike and sitting for some special prayer time with them, or even taking each child out one on one to connect with their heart. Whatever your new commitment is, make sure you share it with someone who will hold you accountable.