Overview

Sometimes, out of the desire for our children to have a healthy spiritual experience, we over share and drag things out. “Be brief, brother. Be brief.” Keep your devotion time together fun, exciting, and brief. You want your children to want more. An appropriate amount of devotion time should correspond to the age of the children; think short, but consistent burst of time. Time plus consistency of a behavior will lead to results. Keep it short and sweet and they will want more!

Recall

What is a good rule of thumb for the appropriate amount of devotion time for kids?

Reflect

Think about your devotion time with your children. Do you keep it brief and to the point, or do you drag on and on?

Respond

What are some techniques you can use to keep your devotion time fun, exciting, and brief?

Rethink

What are you doing right now to keep your kids wanting more devotion time?

The 5 B’s of Family Devotions

Sometimes, in our effort to have family devotions we sometimes find ourselves unable to wrap it up. We often think that we need to continue to belabor the exact same point, over, and over, and over. We mistakenly think that if a little is good, a TON is better.

Sometimes, out of the healthy desire for our kids to have a positive spiritual experience, we think that in the abundance of words, the devotion is good. I want to challenge that concept.

I actually think that the five B’s of family devotions should be implemented. “Be brief, brother. Be brief.” Literally, less is more.

What I want to do is keep our time together exciting, fun, and brief. I want my kids to want more. There truly is a fine line between wanting more and this is a bore.

I think an appropriate length of time for connecting spiritually should be in keeping with the kids age. Let’s say, for starters, a little 3-minute burst for a 3-year old.  A 5-minute daily burst for our 5-year old. Over time it begins to add up and make a huge difference.

How about a 10-year old daughter? What about an opportunity to sit down for 10 minutes and have a meaningful Bible time? Could that be enough to make a difference?

One of my personal axiom’s or personal mottos is “Time plus consistency of behavior will lead to results.”

Let’s pretend that it is going to take 500 hours of positive spiritual investment to make a significant difference in our kids. That is around 30,000 minutes. However, over an 8 year period, we can accomplish this in just 8 to 10 minutes a day.  Small and consistent bursts will win the day. Time plus consistency of behavior will lead to results. Keep it short, keep it consistent.

Let’s flip this around and say that I do nothing for years and years and then realize I am behind. My child is now in junior high and I am feeling the pressure to make up for lost time. Trying to force-feed a junior high son or daughter to have SUPER LONG quality time around spiritual themes when they are not used to that rhythm is going to have a reverse effect, I guarantee it.  This is a poor investment strategy.

Listen, let’s seek to win over in small and consistent bursts.  Keep it short, keep sweet, they will want more. Trust me.

Here is the funny thing. Your presence in their life is really one of the most important things that they want. Daily.

Say less. Be more consistent. Keep them wanting more!

  • Recall: What is a good rule of thumb for the appropriate amount of devotion time for kids?
  • Reflect: Think about your devotion time with your children. Do you keep it brief and to the point, or do you drag on and on?
  • Respond: What are some techniques you can use to keep your devotion time fun, exciting and brief?
  • Rethink: What are you doing right now to keep your kids wanting more devotion time?