Good morning, Five Minute Families! It’s been wonderful having kicked off so many Tuesdays of 2020 with you. We would love for you to share with us your favorite tip or show from the year. Head over to our Clear View Retreat facebook page and drop us a comment so that we know you are out there listening.
This year has taken so much from so many, and most folks are aching for 2021 to arrive. Unfortunately, though, January 1st is not a magical day. It will not make our problems disappear. As our pastor said this past Sunday, Jan 1st is merely a convenient ‘line in the sand’ to give us a definitive time to move forward.
Thus, instead of a rigid New Year’s Resolution, we encourage your family choose a Family Word of the Year. This word should be a continual and gentle reminder to focus on creating a positive, Godly home life instead of a soon forgotten New Year’s resolution.
Here are five steps to help guide your family into choosing a Family Word of the Year.
1. Pray. Don’t choose a family word of the year without God, Five Minute Families. Proverbs 16:9 tells us, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” We need to rely on the Lord and His plan for our future while we intentionally focus on each and every present moment.
2. Reflect. Think about the past year as well as your hopes for the upcoming year. Proverbs 24:3-5 reminds us that “By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might.” Each person needs to think of what characteristics they personally would like to have or characteristics they see the family needing to focus on.
3. Brainstorm. Create a list of words together. Now, we must allow each person to say whatever comes to mind without fear of ridicule; this can be hard for some kiddos. Make sure you lay the ground rule of no condemnation of another’s suggestions; in fact, encourage them to be a little silly. One way to ensure that kids don’t make rude comments about an idea would be for mom or dad to say something a little wild as an example and then encourage everyone to use even the outlandish word as a jumping off point. Also, try to get as many words down as you can, but do set a time limit (dependent on your children’s ages), so that no one ends up getting bored or frustrated.
4. Discuss. You can do the discussion in multiple ways. One suggestion would be for each family member to choose one word from the longer list, and then share why he or she thinks that word would be a good word for the family to focus on this year. Again, no mocking another’s recommendation.
5. Decide. Begin this decision time with prayer once more. Ask God to reveal to you all what He would have you focus on as a godly family this year.
All of these steps do not need to be completed at the same time. Take into account your family dynamics and spread the steps out over the course of a few hours or a few days. No one needs to be pushed into accepting a word that they don’t resonant with, but at the same time, not each person will likely be as motivated by the word as others. This is where individual needs and praying lovingly for each other matters even more.
We are praying about ‘community’ being our word for 2021. It will look a bit different for each of us due to our different personalities, and the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions are going to make us get a whole lot of creative, but we are exploring that word for a reason. We might land on a different family word, but through this process, we have searched deeper for something I miss strongly for myself and my family - community.
Remember, January 1st isn’t a magical day, but since EVERY day is a good day to become more intentional and January 1st is coming, begin now to make your stand for Christ and His kingdom and that begins in your home. Using intentional intimacy in every relationship and in every situation will allow you to breathe a bit easier and sleep a lot lighter at the end of the day. As God says in Philippians 1:6, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
May God bless and keep you. May His light shine upon you and your loved ones as you step into the new year. Be blessed!
