HOLIDAYS: FAITH DOES NOT GO ON HOLIDAY (1)

For some people, the holidays can be slow and unhurried.

Nobody is rushing to catch the school bus. Nobody is shouting about a missing sock or asking whether the children have finished their homework. Bedtimes become negotiable. Breakfast can happen at 10 a.m. if nobody is particularly interested in the clock.

Then, somewhere in the middle of the morning, it strikes you. "We haven't had family devotion in days."

Not because anyone has decided that God is no longer important.

The school routine disappeared, and somehow the spiritual routine disappeared with it.

That is one of the interesting things about holidays. They expose our routines. When the structures that normally organise our lives disappear, we quickly discover what was intentional and what was simply being carried along by the calendar.

During the school term, there is a rhythm to family life. Wake up. Get ready. Go to school. Go to work. Return home. Eat. Do homework. Prepare for the next day. Sleep.

The holiday breaks that rhythm. And that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Children need rest. Parents need rest too. Families need unhurried time together.

But somewhere in that freedom, we have to be careful not to teach our children, without intending to, that God is part of the school routine rather than part of everyday life.

Faith does not go on holiday.

Deuteronomy 6:6–7 is so interesting. Moses told the Israelites to teach God's commands to their children while sitting at home, walking along the road, lying down, and getting up.

In other words, faith was not supposed to exist only in formal religious settings.

It was supposed to become part of ordinary conversation and ordinary life.

There is the long journey to visit relatives. There is cooking together. There are arguments between siblings. There are conversations about money. There are moments when someone is disappointed. There are unexpected blessings. There are opportunities to help somebody.

All of these can become opportunities to talk about God. You don't always need to begin with a Bible verse.

Sometimes the conversation can begin with a question.

"Why do you think people should help those who have less?"

"What would you do if you found money that didn't belong to you?"

"Why do you think it's difficult to forgive sometimes?"

"How should we respond when God doesn't answer a prayer the way we expected?"

These conversations can sometimes lead somewhere deeper than a hurried family devotion.

We also don't need to manufacture spiritual experiences. You don't need a two-hour family devotion every morning. You don't need to turn every conversation into a sermon.

Read a Bible story together.

Let the children ask questions.

Allow them to lead prayer in turns.

Pray spontaneously when something good happens.

Thank God for a safe journey.

Talk about forgiveness after a disagreement.

Share a testimony from your own life.

Let them see faith in everyday life, not just in church.

That may be one of the most important things we can teach them during the holidays.

God is not only relevant on Sunday morning. He's relevant at the dining table. In the car. During an argument. When we are disappointed. When we are grateful. When things go well. When they don't.

The holidays give us something the school term often doesn't give us in abundance. Time.

Let's use some of it to help our children discover that faith is a way of living.