Oct 9

Oct 9 3 Ways to Keep Your Family Connected During Life's Busy Seasons

Family Management, Fitness and Health, Parenting

Fall is here. School is back in session. Kids are back into their activities. Laundry is piling up. And you find yourself counting down the hours until you’re able to crawl into bed at night. Everything suddenly feels like it’s just a blur. Is this something you can relate to? This seems to be our life right now. And just when you think you’re starting to get settled into a routine, it hits you. Christmas is coming. And the last thing you want to think about is the shopping and busyness that comes with THAT season! But today as I sit here writing this, I just dropped my oldest son off to his swim practice. (Did I mention that it’s Saturday? What happened to our weekends??) As I watched him walk up to the school with his swim bag stretched across his strong shoulders, it hit me. My boy has turned into a man. When did this happen? How did I miss this? Wasn’t it just yesterday that I watched him walk into preschool for the first time? Or how about when I saw him hold his new baby brother in his arms for the first time? Didn’t that just happen? Oh, how fast time speeds by! I can’t help but wonder if I’ve made the most of the time we’ve had together. Have I taught him enough? Does he really know how much Jesus loves him? Does he really know how much I love him? Will he be equipped to be able to make good decisions when he’s faced with the hard choices? And then…I hear this sweet whisper of truth in my ear.

Deuteronomy 6: 5-9

Love the LORD your God with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hand and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

These are the things we’ve done for our kids. Even in the midst of the busyness. Even when we have felt lost ourselves, God has given us strength to keep persevering. So even when the enemy sneaks in and tries to tell me that I haven’t done enough, I can always remember that God is so much bigger. And at the end of the day, He fills in the gaps for us. Because really, our children are just on loan to us from HIM! But here are three things that we’ve done consistently to keep our family grounded in our faith, even when times are crazy:

1) We ALWAYS pray together. We pray before bed. We pray before swim practice. We pray before the big game. We pray when we are hurting. We pray before our meals. We pray to give him praise when He showers us with blessings. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate twenty-minute prayer. It can take less than two minutes. But it does a couple of things. It lets our kids know that we put our trust in God. And that He can handle what we’re bringing to Him. And it teaches them how to have a relationship with their Heavenly Father.

2) We EAT together. Now, I know what you’re thinking. This sometimes feels impossible. I didn’t say we have gourmet dinners. I do my best, but I’m not a superhero! But sitting down at the table together, even if it’s over frozen pizza, gives us a chance to be in the Word together. This is the time that we’re all in one place at the same time. So we take this opportunity to talk about our days and we incorporate scripture to lead our conversations.

3) We make time to be together JUST THE FOUR OF US for a special outing once a month. It might be a movie on a Saturday afternoon. Or it might just be a walk on one of our favorite trails. But it’s just us. And God. And we always praise Him for the time that He’s blessed us with.

Yes, we have our days when we are tired. Honestly, if I didn’t take my Young Living Ningxia Red every day, I don’t think I would make it! I mean, you know this stuff works when your husband starts taking it every day too!! The energy it gives us is seriously mind blowing! And yes, I also rely on my Young Living Clarity oil placed right behind my ears when I’m trying to work, homeschool, and transport the boys to all of their activities. It just really clears my mind and helps keep me focused on the huge task list that is always in front of me. But what a blessing it is to be able to raise these kids! Life goes by so quickly. May you enjoy every single moment of the journey He has you on!