The American
Time Use Survey asked thousands of Americans to share how they spend each
minute of every day. After averaging the results, the survey found that
sleeping, eating/drinking, working, and watching TV take up about two-thirds of
the average day. In families with two or more children, three additional categories
took up significant portions of each day—household activities, traveling, and
family care (an additional half hour for each child). Not surprisingly, some of
the smallest slivers of time were spent on personal care, socializing, relaxing
and thinking, and religious activities.
With so much already packed into
families' busy lives, how can parents use the time they are already spending
with their children to help them involve God in everyday life? Deuteronomy puts
it this way:
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our
God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today
are to be upon 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 hands and bind them on your foreheads.
Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
The most practical way to help
children learn about God might be to use certain times of each day to further
their children's spiritual growth. While driving to one of your children’s
activities, talk about the Bible or listen to Christian music. While eating
dinner, start a discussion about God and how He is working in your family. By
using time you already spend with your children, parents can take a step in
helping further not just their child’s faith but their own as well. What next
steps do you need to take to lead your child to pursue life in Jesus as their
greatest passion?
