Want to help build purpose in your home? Our friends at Parent Cue have 7 suggestions from which you can select 1 or more to help instill a sense of purpose in your home. Some of these may be just what is needed to add a sense of meaning over the summer months.
- Create a family tree. Gather family photos and craft a family tree. Make it fun, relaxed, memory-filled.
- Write a purpose statement. What kind of home do you want to be? What are the things most important to you? This exercise can also spin off into a personal purpose statement in which each household member supports the home purpose statement.
- Teach the importance of everyone. Share how each person has a role in the home purpose of the family. This conversation can be expanded to include the community and church.
- Develop a list of strengths. Make a habit of talking about each person’s strengths and God-given gifts. Dream how these can be used for the home and blessing others.
- Construct a collage of interests. Explore and share what brings you joy. Find pictures of things that illustrate those interests and secure them together on a large piece of cardboard. Review it from time to time and even add more pictures over the summer.
- Give out responsibilities. Give each person something to oversee, a chore, a job, a way to contribute to the household. Then make sure to encourage one another over a job well done.
- Be an inspiration. Share your own life’s journey, goals, inspirations, and dreams with one another. Adults start the process and set the tone.
- Explore a spiritual practice (ok this is number 8 and not actually in the article). New seasons allow opportunities for new routines. Consider adding the routine of reading the Bible and praying. There are a lot of online devotions available such as The Lutheran Hour, Our Daily Bread. Consider reading through one of the gospels a little each time and try to label each chapter with a keyword or phrase. discuss why that keyword fits. Then memorize those keywords to form an outline of the gospel. The Bible Project offers a wide variety of brief videos that bring various themes to life. These can be watched and each person shares what captured your imagination and offer that up to the Lord and see what He will do with it.