Families together at times like these

Devotion 2: Boredom v Purpose

To do

B.O.R.E.D.O.M: Can each member of the family come up with something boring that starts with each letter of the word ‘boredom’? Some ideas might be: M-Making my bed, D-Doing my schoolwork. (Accept all suggestions unless they are disrespectful).

Talk about

It’s very easy to feel bored when we have to stay at home all the time. Everybody feels bored. But we have a choice to make. Can we turn this around and think about what God’s purpose is for us? Maybe you find it boring to make your bed, but can you make the choice to see this as a way to show love to your parents by obeying them? Let’s think about what your family could do to find purpose in this time.

Discuss together

Can anyone think of one boring thing you all have to do each day that you could make more interesting? (e.g. learning a memory verse while brushing your teeth).

Explore

What does God have to say about this?

Jesus taught his friends how to live with purpose. He gave them some wise words, in the form of sentences that all start with ‘Blessed is…’ This is another way of saying ‘Happy is…’ Today we will read some of what he said. As a family read Matthew 5:1-10 together. You can find it online here.

When you have read the passage, you could watch this together God’s Story: Sermon on the Mount

Think about

What sentence from this reading is important to you? It might be a sentence that encourages you (God comforts those who grieve), or a sentence that challenges you (those who are humble are happy).

Have someone in the family read this out loud:

“The opposite of boredom is purpose. We might be feeling bored, but when we follow God’s ways our lives have purpose, even the boring bits. Our whole lives are important to God. While we are living in our houses to stop the spread of the virus, we can make good choices. God wants to help us too. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and helps us. We don’t have to do it alone!”

Respond

Choose one or more of these options:

  • Can you remember all the boring things you listed for B.O.R.E.D.O.M? Choose one or more of these things and come up with a simple family plan to give this purpose. Try it out for a day or two. See if you can stick to your plan for a whole week! (One example might be putting on worship music while everyone cleans their rooms).
  • Choose one sentence from the Bible passage and turn it into a prayer. You might like to write it, create actions for it, or draw it.
  • Listen to this song (or sing a song of your family’s choosing): The Beatitudes (with simple actions)
  • Spend 10 minutes outside in your garden/backyard working on a project. This might be weeding a garden or cleaning the path. Do it together as a family, praising God for the opportunity to be together and to work together. At the end of the task look at what you have achieved.

Pray

Finish by praying this prayer as a blessing. (Numbers 6:24-26 CEV version)

“I pray that the Lord
will bless and protect you,
and that he will show you mercy
and kindness.
May the Lord be good to you
and give you peace.”