We are just getting into the holiday season, so New Year’s goals are probably far from your mind right now. Still, it’s good to think ahead about the things you want to accomplish next year and what categories you want to tackle.
You may have health goals as far as losing weight, eating healthier, or exercising daily. You may have financial goals like getting a better job, saving more money, or getting a new business or side hustle off the ground. Or relationship goals like meeting someone new, navigating a recent breakup successfully in the new year, or being more connected with your spouse or girlfriend or boyfriend?
What about your spiritual goals? Spiritual goals are great to have individually because our relationship with Jesus is the most important thing in our lives. However, having spiritual goals as a family is even better because it will bring the family closer to God and each other. If you are looking for some ideas for spiritual goals for your family, here are some to get you started.
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Set up a family meeting and talk about what books of the Bible you want to read and what topics you want to learn about for the year. Then, plan out a book and a topic for each month of the year. If you have little ones, see if you can find simplified Bible stories that correlate to the book you are reading to help them understand better. Once you have a plan, mark each month with the topic and book of the Bible that you will be reading.
Another idea is to buy a chronological Bible and read through it that way. I have been enjoying a podcast called The Daily Bible Podcast with Tricia and Michelle this year. Tricia Goyer is a Christian author, and her friend Michelle has worked in different ministries. They are just two friends reading through the Bible and encouraging others to do the same. Each morning, in my email, I get the Scripture to read for the day and then listen to the day’s podcast on YouTube. (You can also find it on Apple, Spotify, etc.) They use the chronological Bible as they are reading.
You could also spend an hour together, using the first thirty minutes for the older family members to read and discuss the topic, chapter, or story. Then, spend the second half hour with the little ones, discussing the topic in more simple terms so that they can understand. Don’t forget to allow them to ask questions. Kids always have lots of questions.
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Prayer is an important part of our day. Set up a time for your family to gather and pray together. You can discuss things that the whole family can pray about and individual needs within your family that need prayer as well. Don’t forget to add friends and other relatives to your list of things to be prayed over.
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Discuss what causes are important to you and where you would like to serve together. This could be organizing the church bake sale, volunteering at the local soup kitchen, or helping elderly friends or neighbors. The possibilities are endless.
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Make a goal to give more together. You could save monthly change to add to your tithe, give your time to a worthy cause, or help an individual. You can give your talents, offer your skills to an organization, or even teach someone to do something. When we give to others, we automatically think financially, but that doesn’t always have to be the case. We can give in other ways as well.
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Families have tons of conversations each day, and it’s easy for prayer requests to slip through the cracks. Why not start a family prayer journal? Everyone can write their prayer requests in the journal throughout the week, and then once or twice a week, you all gather to pray over all the needs in the journal.
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We can worship God wherever we are and for whatever reason. Turn up the praise and worship music in the car and sing along, or have it playing while you clean the house or fix dinner together.
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It is important to attend church regularly as a family. We all need encouragement and biblical education each week. Also, take some time when finding the right church for your family. Not every church is a good fit for all families. So take your time and visit several to find the right one. This will ensure everyone is happy and comfortable and will want to attend regularly.
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It may help to purchase a family devotional to accompany your Bible study together. Some titles to consider are 5 Minute Family Devotional: Kid-Friendly Devotions for Growing with God by Brittany Rust, The Bedtime Family Devotional by Ruth and Patrick Schwenk, The Family Bible Devotional: Stories from the Bible to Help Kids and Parents Engage & Love Scripture by Sarah M. Wells, and Busy Family Devotional: 52 Short Devotions from Genesis to Revelation by Lucy Rycroft.
There are all kinds of family devotionals available to take your time and look at several to find out which one will work best for your family. Some devotionals are designed for bedtime, others for busy families, and still others for any time of day.
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Turn off all your electronics and spend some time together talking about God. A great time to do this is around the dinner table. Make a strict no electronics rule, then talk about everyone’s day.Also talk about what God is doing right now in your family, with your friends, what prayers has he answered, what prayers you are still waiting on, etc. Have each person around the table talk about what God is doing in their lives right now. You will gain some interesting insights about each person’s life and know how you can stand with them in prayer if need be. You can also celebrate answered prayers and give God the glory together as well.
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Our entertainment is full of nasty, ungodly content. How often have you turned on a show or movie with a great premise only to find it filled with violence and foul language? How many times have you picked up a book with a great plot only to find it’s filled with graphic sex? Have you ever been surfing the radio for it to stop at a station that is playing today’s music, and you want to grab the noise-canceling headphones as fast as possible? Although not intentional, it’s easy to do. It’s happened to all of us.
Why not make a goal in the new year to be more vigilant about what your family sees, hears, and reads? When your kid comes home and is excited about the new book, TV show, movie, or video game that’s hot right now, take some time and research it. Find out what it’s about and what the rating is (for movies, TV shows, and video games); read book reviews as well. See if you can find any reviews by other parents online or even an objective review. It’s important to be diligent about what entertainment your children are consuming.
To help combat the shock value of most entertainment, steer your family to more faith-based family entertainment. Great American Family, Up TV, and Great American Pure Flix offer great movies and TV shows.
For books, search for Christian authors in some of your family’s favorite genres. For example, some of my favorite Christian romance authors are Karen Kingsbury, Debbie Macomber, Jessie Gussman, and Brooke St. James. Tons of Christian authors write in all different genres, so you are bound to find a writer you and your family will love.
This can be a little tricky with music. Am I saying don’t listen to secular music? Not at all. I listen to a mix of both secular and Christian music. I’m a huge fan of the 80s and country music, as well as today’s Christian music (For King & Country, Lauren Daigle, Danny Gokey, etc.).
I’m also a fan of hard rock/heavy metal music. The only difference is I’m very selective about what I listen to. I like some secular rock bands, but I don’t listen to all their stuff. The lyrics are very important to me, so I pay close attention to their meaning. I usually have a mix of both secular and Christian rock bands that I love. If you’re looking for some fantastic Christian rock bands, check out Skillet, Red, Day of Fire, and Thousand Foot Krutch (more rock/rap).
Having spiritual goals and growing in Christ is so essential for us as Christians, and having goals as a family is a great way to stay motivated. Take some time to choose a goal or two for your family next year and watch how your spiritual lives grow and flourish.
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