Establishing a Culture of Faith in Your Home
I grew up going to church. My family attended service every week and occasionally I’d go to youth group. Our relationship with God extended past Sundays, and throughout the week my mom would incorporate prayer, Bible reading, and listening to worship music into our daily routine. Our conversations, whether about our day, finances, politics, or community, often included nuggets of truth from God’s Word.
Without knowing it, my parents created a culture in our home where our faith could grow.
We were far from the perfect Christian family. We had our shares of ups and downs, accompanied by sin, doubt, and ultimately redemption. I had front row seat to the miracles God performed but also to the mess of flawed individuals living together in a broken world.
As a high school and college student, there were times when I was tempted to leave the whole faith thing behind and do life my way. But there was something that held me back. I believe that it was not only the love of my Heavenly Father but the culture of faith in my home
Culture, no matter what values and beliefs its rooted in, is not a list of dos and don'ts. But instead, the essence of how a family relates to one another, works together, and achieves goals.
A strong family culture exists when you determine and walk out the values, beliefs, and customs or traditions you want to share with one another.
Through small consistent steps over time, you can create a culture of faith in your home that will grow your faith and the faith of your family.
Here are few steps help you establish a culture of faith in your home:
Name it - Decide what you believe and what are the main principles you are passionate about passing down to your children. These are similar to your top five core values. Brand it - Make it exciting by putting words around what you believe. Create a mantra, mission statement, or manifesto.
Model it - Intentionally put action around what you believe.
Teach it - Teach it again and again. Culture continually putting words around what you believe. Talk repeatedly about what you believe and why it is meaningful to you.
Systematize it - Create habits and behaviors that align with your beliefs. Evaluate them often and refine as needed.
Celebrate it - Acknowledge the success each of you has, big or small, that is a result of the actions you’ve taken.
You can apply these steps to any value you want to incorporate into your life.
Just like my family, yours will not be perfect because you’ve followed these steps. However, over time you will create an environment in your home that allows your family’s faith to grow, which will ultimately anchor them to what matters to the most to you.