Staying Connected

Good morning, Five Minute Families. How has life been coming at you lately? Has it been a quiet breeze filled with sunny moments? Or, maybe you are in the midst of the greatest storm of your life where it feels that everything is getting tossed around and the anchor trees lifted? Whatever your circumstances in life, God wants your family to experience His peace that passes all understanding. How can a family do that in both the norms and storms of life?Our desire with this devotion is to help your family grow closer to God and encourage the relationships He has established in your homes. By starting with just five minutes, we pray that your time blossoms into a beautiful bouquet of family blessings. We know God is good at gathering a bountiful harvest from the time when we focus on Him.First, practice the spiritual disciplines - both together and individually. Whether life is good or difficult, we need to be practicing the spiritual disciplines to make sure we are staying connected to our Lord and Savior. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the spiritual disciplines they include worship, bible study, service, and fellowship as well as prayer, meditation, and gratitude. Some folks will break them out further, but you get the idea. We need to be in God’s Word daily and challenge ourselves and one another to keep our focus on the kingdom of God and not the changing circumstances of this earthly life.Second, keep the lines of communication open in both the good and the bad times. All too often, when we are stressed, we shut down. We sometimes assume our family members even know what we are thinking, and sometimes they might be right, but too many times, they do not understand, and the hurts can pile up. So, no matter what life is throwing at you - all the good, all the bad, or a random mix - be sure to keep having family discussions and listening well to one another. And, remember, do not just talk AT one another, but speak for clarity and listen to understand, not just to respond and say your own next point. Third, plan family time together. It doesn’t have to be an amusement park; it can be a simple walk in the woods. The goal is to be together and focus on one another. If life is going well, we too often let it tumble along without any intentional time together. Thus, when things aren’t going so great, we either try to force family time or we continue to ignore it all together. So, whether in the norms or storms of life, make time for one another on a regular basis. We know some families that have weekly family fun nights, monthly family fun days, and annual family get-aways. You don’t have to be so organized as all that, but we must all put in the effort to let our families know they matter. Be intentional!Fourth, give each other space as needed. This element of staying connected as a family can be tricky, but the reality is that some family members need more alone time than others. If you are a cuddler who wants to spend every possible moment together and your child is a non-hugger who can spend hours reading a book without speaking to anyone, you two have to find a way to connect AND give each other the necessary space. It can be that while reading, you sit together on the couch, though maybe not touching for most of the time. Sometimes, non-huggers will need to hug and sometimes cuddlers will have to refrain from hugging. Each family will have to find the balance that works for your own home.And, our final suggestion for today is to do household tasks together as well. It might not work to have everyone clean the tiny kitchen together, but everyone can work on the household tasks at the same time and then either come back together to have some fun or go on about the everyday needs of your schedule. One family had a two-hour block for every Saturday morning. Each member of the family had tasks to do to help reset the home for the upcoming week. The children complained like crazy but quickly learned the value of getting it done and getting it done together. They could see that everyone contributed - age-appropriately, of course. Family life is beautiful - and hard. Family life is where we can drop our masks and be ourselves - and be challenged to become the best versions of ourselves as well. No matter what family life looks like for you today, whether it is just husband and wife, or you are in the newborn/toddler phase, or if you are launching your teenagers into greater independence, no matter what, staying connected as a family takes intentionality and commitment. We do thank you for joining us today. Be blessed!