Here in the U.S., we celebrate a day for mothers, a day for fathers and a day for grandparents. But we never have a celebration for the whole family. But that’s not true elsewhere. Family Day is actually the name of a public holiday set aside to celebrate families. One of the places Family Day is celebrated is in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan. Below are the comments of a Canadian pastor and father of two teenage boys (ages 12 and 16), as he reflected on his Family Day celebration. As you read his words, think about your own family. How could you begin to establish some family celebration into your daily routine this month?
Family Day . . . Every Day by Carey Nieuwhof
We celebrated our first family day in Ontario today . . . a celebration, our
premier says, of family, because families need more time together. Good idea.
We're at the stage in our family where racking up the mileage on the
car is not hard—hockey rules, and right now we're all over the place in
playoffs. Between hockey and work, there's not a lot of time left. But because
time is the key to relationship, and relationship is the key to life in Christ,
we have to think creatively about how we as a family can leverage the time we have.
To me, as the kids get older, the key is not just praying together or
reading the Bible together (that's important and necessary), but the key is
opening a dialogue about faith and life that runs through life. That can be a
lot trickier. Personally, I find conversations about God and life happen best in
the flow of everyday life.
Here's what we do to try to track together at this stage in life (my boys are 16 and 12):
• We eat dinner together almost every night.
• We serve together on Sundays.
• We listen to music together. We let the kids drive the playlist because whatever they choose sure beats four people living together with four iPods running four separate soundtracks.
• I let my 16-year-old drive wherever he's legally allowed because it gives us time together.
• I'm reading through the book of Daniel with Sam (age 12).
• We play board games, watch movies and read in the same space.
• I'm trying not to stay at work too late or let work come home with me too often.
• We try to take several shorter vacations together each year.
This may all sound like pretty normal, unimaginative stuff, but the key to relationship is time. What things do you do with your family? What helps you keep communication with your child wide open?
Mom and Dad...During the month of June I am challenging you to make family time! Be intentional, it will not just happen. You have to make it happen!
I would love to hear your stories of how you had family time this month. Please share your ideas and stories with us!