A Prayer for Strengthening Family Bonds
By Heidi Vegh
Bible Reading
“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. - Joshua 24:15
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Family is a precious gift from God. Our homes should be a place of comfort, nurturing, and leading others to a life with Jesus. Our priority is our relationship with Jesus, which strengthens us to serve our families well and brings us closer to each other. I am a mother of four in a blended family. Two of our children are in their last years of high school, and I feel an urgency to teach them all they need to know about living a life with Jesus. Over the years, we have strived to strengthen our bond with them and cultivate a safe space for them to ask hard questions.
As children grow and become more independent, meaningful family time becomes increasingly harder to have. When things start to change, we have to focus on the intentionality of creating spaces to build bonds. It can be easy to let things go and just accept them for how they are, but we must allow ourselves to recognize things that have slipped into the cracks of a busy life and make changes. God has been showing me lately that I can’t give up on those bonding times. I can’t just let them go, and I need to make changes, even big ones, in our lives to maintain opportunities for togetherness.
In Psalm 133:1, we read, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”
If we feel our children naturally start to pull away, we need to ask God for wisdom in balancing their new freedoms while still sharing bonding moments. Perhaps that is planning trips, scheduling weekly family dinners, or making sure Sunday mornings are set aside for church and lunch. When God starts to pull at your heart and show you things that have slipped in your family life, it is time to listen. It is time to make hard changes where needed and it is time to prioritize family over any other obligation. Sometimes, this might be a little change, or sometimes, it might be life-changing. But all of it is worth it for the sake of family.
Each family is different, with different schedules and priorities, but when we allow the direction of the Lord to penetrate every aspect of our lives, we will find it simpler to include Him in our daily walks. It will be easier to hear His voice when He wants us to take action. When we show our children sacrifice in the name of Jesus and family, it teaches them what should be a priority in their own lives. If we model for them making hard changes or choices in the name of family and following Jesus that is something they will take with them into adult life.
Let’s Pray:
Lord, I lift my family to you. It is growing and changing and the opportunities for strengthening, bonding moments are few and far between. Lord, protect the hearts of my children and give me the wisdom to know what needs to be a priority. Speak to us as we seek to create spaces for strengthening. Show us things we need to set aside, let go of, or change. Teach us ways and give us creative ideas to strengthen our family. Help us cultivate a safe space in our home for our children to ask hard questions. Please give us wisdom in our answers and show us ways to love our children through hard things.
Strengthen our bond. Work powerfully in the time that we do get together and I pray that they can walk away from their childhood with tangible tools and wisdom in how to follow you and live a life for you. We know our children are watching us so give us humility as we make mistakes, and give us the strength to admit our faults and apologize. Move in our family, Lord. Pour your Holy Spirit into our lives and our home. Move in your power and change us. Move in all of our hearts and reveal to us the plans that you have for us. You are the glue for our family so forgive us Lord for allowing space for division or disunity. We pray for unity in our family, a strong bond that will carry through our whole life. Thank you Jesus for caring so deeply about each of our family members. Help us to grow in your love, serve you together, and be a light to those around us.
In your precious name, we pray, amen.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Thomas Barwick
Heidi Vegh is a writer, speaker, and ministry leader living in Western Washington. She is a remarried mother of four, navigating the blended family life after the loss of her first husband to cancer in 2013. She longs to use her writing as a way to encourage others who have experienced loss and guide them on the road to healing. She contributes to her blog found at www.mrsheidivegh.com , sharing stories and devotionals of faith stemming from her loss and healing, mothering, and her blended and complex family. She graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with a degree in Creative Writing and English and is working on her first book. Heidi is the Women’s Ministry Director at her local church and has a deep heart for sharing Jesus with women and encouraging them in their faith walk. When she is not writing, she loves to travel, read, craft, and experiment in the kitchen. Visit her Facebook and Instagram (@mrsheidivegh) to learn more.
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