Helping faith to grow

It’s breakfast time and I’m making toast. I grab my box of cookie cutters and ask my daughters (aged three and five) if they’d like ‘Bible Story Toast’. I’ve been reading and thinking about the story of Jacob’s ladder, so I cut out a few mini ginger bread men and angels, then slice the remaining crusts into sticks, adding the required chocolate spread. I share the Bible story with them, slowly building a picture using the sticks as a ladder and the other pieces for the people and angels. They listen and watch, occasionally adding their own details to the story. I find it’s a story full of mystery and awe and at the end we wonder together about which part of the story we liked best and which was most important, Godly Play style. Then we scoff the toast: perfect breakfast.

Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t breakfast in our house every day. We have the usual arguments over which plate and cup to use and have battles over uneaten, soggy cereal, but sharing our faith together is something we intentionally weave into the moments we spend together. Why? Because the Bible is full of references to how our faith should be part of our everyday lives. One of my favourite passages on this is Deuteronomy 11:18–19: ‘Memorise these laws and think about them. … Teach them to your children. Talk about them all the time: whether you’re at home or walking along the road or going to bed at night, or getting up in the morning’ (CEV).

As a children’s worker, I realised that one of the most effective ways I could impact a child’s spiritual life was to invest in their time with their family. Instead of bemoaning that I only had one hour with them, I started looking for ways to encourage and inspire families in their faith journey together.

Is it biblical?

Without looking below, take two minutes with a pen and paper to jot down as many Bible stories as you can think of where people experienced something of God at home. Each time I’ve done this, I’m astonished at how many stories there are where God shows up at where someone lives: from Adam and Eve in the garden to Samuel living in the temple, the widow

in Zarapheth to Mary and Joseph’s angelic visitations. And then there are all the people whose houses Jesus went to and members of the early church who met in houses.

So many Bible events happened in someone’s home, yet sometimes we imagine that faith is something ‘done’ in meetings. I’m really passionate about families discovering how to journey in faith together in a way which is really ‘them’. What excites me is that as families start to do this, it’s inevitable that they begin sharing their faith with the people whose lives they interact with as faith becomes so integral to who they are.

So how can we do this and help others do more of it too?

Stop feeling guilty about what we’re not doing (or didn’t do).

Most people do more faith at home than they realise, so let’s work on encouraging each other by sharing the things we do and pointing out the fab stuff that others are doing.

Be flexible and do what works best at the moment in each family.

I often find people have a very set idea of what they ought to be doing. Or they feel bad that they used to do something which they no longer do. Families are ever-changing entities and so while some rituals may last for years, much of what we do will change as the dynamic of our family changes. This also means it’s never too early or too late to start.

Be creative and bring Jesus into what we already do together.

Do you enjoy cooking together? Do Bible story cooking (Bake through the Bible is a fabulous resource for this). If you love riding bikes, share a story together with a snack on a break on a bike ride. If you love music, invest in some Bible songs

(see Scripture Union’s Bitesize Bible Songs or seedsfamilyworship.com). It always helps to get some fab Bible story books – some of my favourites are The big Bible storybook and The action Bible. The Contemporary English Version of the Bible is a great translation to use when reading together (see biblegateway.com).

Finally, I think we all need to get more into the Bible ourselves. I always find it’s far more exciting to learn with someone who’s passionate about their subject, and I always find I’m more excited about the Bible when I’ve met God through it recently. And as we do this, we need to look for opportunities for shared learning experiences. I love doing word studies using commentaries as well as drawing a Bible verse as a meditation. When I do this my children will often come and ask what I’m doing and want to join in, which is a fabulous opportunity for me to give them a window on what faith looks like for me.

I also feel it’s important for my children to know I don’t have all the answers, and that their contribution is valued. I’ve learned some profound things listening to children’s unfettered thoughts about God. And there’s another brilliant thing about faith at home: we get to explore, learn and grow alongside children, and, as Jesus said, the kingdom belongs to them.

Victoria Beech runs GodVenture to help families do faith at home together. She has a series of sticker activity books and other fun resources including Bible GodVenture52, a pack of cards with 52 ideas on exploring the Bible together at home. Get two packs for £10 using the code CHILDRENSWORK at GodVenture.co.uk