Lately, I was asked about family traditions and what we do at home to keep God in our daily lives. One thing came to mind. It’s a very simple thing that I felt was not even worth mentioning, but it’s something we do everyday without fail.
Every morning before my husband goes to work and my daughter goes to school – before everyone’s busy day begins – we stand together as a family and start the day with God. Today, we do it habitually no matter how busy our days become. It is a family expectation that we all make time to do this together, but it didn’t start that way.
I remember when I first tried to introduce this morning routine to my 6-year-old girl. Some days she was willing, but other times I was met with resistance. There was a game she wanted to play or a show she wanted to watch. Sometimes, she just didn’t feel like it. Though it was challenging, I realized that this resistance was a good thing – it was an opportunity for me to educate my daughter on our priorities as a family.
So everytime she complained, I explained to her that in our family, we do the bigger and more important things first. We do the family things first before personal things. We start the day with God first because our relationship with God is the most important. Once we greet the day with God, then you can go and do what you want to do.
Though it was hard at first, my husband and I kept vigilant and made sure we were consistent everyday. Most of all, we tried to show by example. After a year, my little girl became the greatest enforcer of our family tradition. She now rallies her baby sister to join us in the mornings. Though it’s short, that time in the morning is very precious to our family.