Home > Parenting > Family Devotionals > from Karen L. Maudlin
From the pages of Christian Parenting Today, May/June 2000
Family Time with
God
devotions by Karen
L. Maudlin, Psy. D.
The devotionals on these pages are designed to guide you and your family
through two months of short, simple times with God and each other.
May
Seeds of Faith
Get
Ready
You’ll need a mustard seed for each family member
(look in the spice section of the grocery store). Place each one in a small
glass jar (such as a baby food jar) or if you have time, use an iron to seal
each seed between two two-by-two-inch pieces of wax paper (place a towel
between the iron and the wax paper). You’ll also need a picture of a
full-grown mustard tree (check on the Internet or in an encyclopedia).
Read the
Word
He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard
seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest
of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants
and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches"
(Matt. 13:31-32).
Talk It
Over
WEEK 1: The Tiny Seed
Place a seed in front of each family member, then read the passage. Now place
the picture of the tree in the center of the group. Can you imagine this
tiny seed turning into a large tree? What do you think Jesus meant when he
said the kingdom of God is like this small seed? How is your faith in God
like the mustard seed? End your time by asking God to help your faith grow.
Post the picture of the tree on the refrigerator and have each person keep
his or her seed during the month as a reminder of our faith and what it can
become.
WEEK 2: The Gardner
Make sure everyone has his or her seed, then ask one of the older children
to read the passage. Talk together about the ways God has planted, nurtured,
weeded and watered your family’s faith. What are the roots of faith
in your family? Do you know the first Christian in your family tree? Over
the next week, see if you can find out. End your time by thanking God for
being faithful to your family.
WEEK 3: Growing Together
After reading the passage, ask each person to share one way he or she
has received protection or support from another family member. Now read the
passage again. As you read, ask each family member to place his or her seed
in the center of the group, one at a time. End your time by asking God to
help your family grow closer to him and to each other.
WEEK 4: The Garden
Once everyone has his or her seed, ask the youngest reader in the family
to read the passage. Have everyone talk about what they think heaven is like.
We know very little about heaven, but we know we will be with Jesus and praising
him forever. What activities and attitudes can your family adopt to make
life on earth more like heaven? End your time by thanking God for the promise
of heaven.
Remember
This
"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted
in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows,
it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree … " (Matt.
13:31-32).
Want
More?
AGES 3–5:
Take your seeds and go outside to find the largest tree in your yard. Notice
its size, its shade, its shelter, its color and the feeling you have standing
under it. Now look at your seed. Do you think God can help your faith grow
from a small seed into a big tree? Help your child ask God to help his faith
grow.
AGES 6–9:
As a family, plant a mustard seed in a small pot. Take turns watering and
tending it. Talk about how it feels to be the gardener. How do you think
God feels when he takes care of us and sees our faith grow? Have your child
draw a picture of a tree, and write the "Remember This" passage on the paper
so she can memorize it this month.
AGES 10–14:
Have your child write the "Remember This" passage on a notecard or a drawing
of a tree. See if he can memorize it this month. Help your child list three
ways he can give others a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven this month through
his words and actions.
FAMILY:
Together, think of ways your family can be a shelter for others: sharing
a meal with a lonely friend, babysitting for other tired parents, sending
a note of encouragement to someone who’s struggling. Pray about these
ideas and try to follow through on at least one of them this month.
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Copyright © 2000 by the author or Christianity Today International/Christian
Parenting Today Magazine.
Click
here for reprint information on Christian Parenting Today.
May/June 2000, Vol.12, No. 5, Page 62
MomSense
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