Regroup and focus, persevere.

As we ring in the New Year, so many people have resolutions and goals and the like. There is nothing wrong with that.

We are seeking the Lord in the New Year and putting our past behind us.  Reaching for a better relationship with the Lord and persevering to better understanding.

As parents, we seek to grow closer to the Lord than ever so that our children see God when they look at us. The need feels overwhelming now more than ever. It has always been our intention to raise our family for Christ but there are those moments when we have been lax and not as focused as we should have been.

It is time to focus.

It is time to but the past behind us.

It is time to persevere.

Will you join us as we focus to BE parents for Christ?

Oh Father,

Forgive us for not giving all of us to you.
Forgive us for not always seeking your heart Lord.

Teach us Father to train our children and focus on you.

Thank you Lord for your new mercies every morning.

Guard our minds and our hearts Lord.

In Jesus name, Amen.

What is your family's resolution or goal for the new year?

Does your family have a traditions or intentional things that they do to encourage spiritual growth in your home?

Focus on what is important

Often as a family it is easy to get distracted from the main goal. The same is true as an individual.

Our kids like to imitate the dogs from UP and cry out "Squirrel!" when something has caught their attention and taken it away from that which they are suppose to be focused on. (Of course, they also do it when they see squirrels.)

Thinking about how our children joke around about attention span and intentionally distract themselves, I started thinking about what we do in regard to God. Typically, one of the New Year resolutions or goals in a church going home is to get closer to God or to read the Bible everyday. How often do we fail those goals?

It generally takes 21 days to create a habit. In my personal journey, I have noticed this is true except for in one area. The area that the habit is not created is my walk with God. Our relationship requires daily work or it will decay and become weak. We can read the Bible and study everyday for three months but then miss it one day and it is very difficult to get back in the habit.

So we have to refocus. Do everything we can to prevent that one day from happening.

Set a schedule. Everyday at X time, the family will sit down together and read the Bible. Go ahead now and plan what to do if Johnny or Jenny is not home for whatever reason. We have decided that no matter what, we will read with whoever is home.

Focus on what is important. Is your goal to read through the Bible in a year, or is it to have a family devotion where there is discussion and interaction. Devotions can be tricky for families with little ones, but getting into the habit now is beneficial.

Choices. Ultimately, as the parent you are responsible for leading your family to a Christ-centered life. This is a huge responsibility, but not an impossible one. In your prayer time be honest with God and ask for help in drawing your family to Him. Make the choice to trust in God and not rely on yourself.

It is not the end of the world if you miss a few days, just start back where you left off and hold each other accountable. Focus on God and draw near to Him.