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Families of Wisdom and Grace
We had just welcomed our second child and life had suddenly become much busier. Two children under two years old meant a world of diapers, lots of laundry, and countless hours of lost sleep, but it also meant that God was blessing and entrusting us with two souls to love and raise. I love it when my social media accounts pop up a memory from years ago of one of our kids. A few days ago, a video popped up of our son pointing at the pages of an open Bible, scanning the pages with his finger while he babbled on as if he was reading the words. In the background, I noticed the packed diaper bag and our son’s toddler church bag sitting with our Bibles. It brought me back to when I would pack everything we’d need for Sunday morning the night before so that getting out the door for worship was a little bit easier with two little ones in tow. It was especially important in that phase of life to be prepared so we could make it out the door in the first place and then engage our hearts fully in worship.
In Exodus 19, we read that Moses was to consecrate the Israelites before they received the law from God and entered into covenant with Him. While we don’t have every detail of how this was done, we do know that the Israelites were to wash their clothes and refrain from sexual activity in part to help them avoid distractions and focus on God. In a similar way, we as parents have a responsibility not only to handle the logistics of getting out the door but also to prepare our hearts and the hearts of our children for worship. Here are a few things we can keep in mind to be successful in those efforts as parents.
Make Sundays non-negotiable. The writer of Hebrews famously writes about “not neglecting to meet together” (Hebrews 10.25) and that has a special application to us as parents. Even when it’s not popular, we need to prioritize meeting together with our brethren and lead our children in that. Life with young children can be tiring and unpredictable - lost hours of sleep, the challenges of getting them dressed and ready, balancing full schedules, and more. Yet through all that, we must not allow anything to come between us and worshiping with fellow Christians. The writer of Hebrews explains our worship assemblies provide a special opportunity for being stirred up to love and good works (Hebrews 10.23), and there’s simply no replacement for the encouragement of being with fellow Christians to sing, pray, and study God’s word. Particularly as parents, it’s essential for our children to see that we don’t just “meet together” when it’s convenient or when we feel like it, but that we set aside undivided time for the Lord because we love Him and want to worship Him.
Speak positively about worship. It is tempting for events that we attend regularly to become mundane at best or dreaded at worst. (Think of those early morning wake-ups for school or sports practice after the initial excitement of seeing school friends after the summer has passed.) There is a risk of that in the habit of “going to church”. God warns of “not [serving] the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart” (Deuteronomy 28.47), and the worshippers of Malachi’s day call worship a weariness (Malachi 1.13). As parents, it is important then to set a good example of our attitude toward worship. We can practice that in some simple ways like saying “we get to go to church” instead of “we have to go to church today”, or waiting until after worship to talk about our plans for lunch or the rest of the day. These kinds of simple shifts can support a heart of worship in ourselves and in our children.
Teach our children why we worship. In Bible Drill, our kids are learning the five acts of worship, what they mean, and why we do them. The information about the “logistics” of worship is a helpful foundation, yet even more important is the understanding of why we worship. Helping our children understand why we worship God is an essential part of preparing them to worship not only today, but for all of their days. Psalm 95 says wonderfully that we worship God because He is a great God, He is our Maker, and He is our Shepherd (Psalm 95.3, 6-7). Paul calls the Romans to their spiritual service of worship because of God’s boundless wisdom and His sovereignty over all things (Romans 11.33-12.1). As parents, we must plant these truths deep in our children’s hearts so that they are properly informed and inspired to worship God not just as a matter of routine or habit, but as a wonderful expression of the reverence and love in their hearts.
Prepare our family ahead of time. In addition to these spiritual preparations, we can help them prepare for worship by getting things ready on Saturday evening. Have your children complete their Bible lessons and place their lesson books and Bibles near the door. Have your children help pick out their clothes for church and make sure they have their shoes and socks ready to slip on the next morning. If you have very young children, pack the diaper bag or church activity bag ahead of time so you can grab it as you head to the car in the morning. While these are small things in some ways, setting your family up for success in getting to worship plays a big role in your family’s ability to be at worship and be engaged in worship.
Psalm 33.1 says “Praise befits the upright”, and I pray you may find this to be true for both yourself and your children. By preparing our children to engage their hearts fully in worship, we are preparing them to honor God from the heart throughout their lives. May God bless you and your family as you continue to grow in His wisdom and grace.
Melissa Golightly, Pressing On Magazine
