Spiritual Disciplines for Parents: Worship, Generosity, and SabbathSample

DAY 1: GOOD > PERFECT

What’s the first thing you feel when you think about the “perfect life”?

Does it produce stress or anxiety because you think you’re falling short or falling behind? Or maybe you feel pride and satisfaction because life is a test you already have all the answers to. (Mind sharing that cheat sheet with the rest of us?)

Option B sounds great, but Option A might be a lot closer to reality.

We’re all about “living our best life,” but often, what we really want is a perfect life — one where we're in full control and everybody gets along all the time. A life that's drama-free and tidy. We want easy.

But the truth is, life is messy and parenting is hard. And nobody gets it right all the time!

And yet, in all the mess, there’s still hope for both us and our kids. Not for a perfect life, but a good life. A perfect life is built on unrealistic ideals, but a good life is built on dedication and discipline.

Scary words, right? They sound difficult and time-consuming. They sound like hard work (spoiler alert: they are). But they’re essential to our calling as both Christians and parents.

The Bible tells us to “train” ourselves to be godly (1 Timothy 4:7) and to persevere “so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4). The work is great, but so is the reward.

When we choose to build spiritual disciplines into our daily rhythms, we’re anchoring our lives with practices that help us draw near to Jesus and become more like Him. We’re also setting an example of grace and godliness for our kids.

We previously looked at the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible study, and fasting. Now, we’re going to consider three more: worship, generosity, and Sabbath.

Put it into practice. On a piece of paper or in a journal, write out those three words — worship, generosity, and Sabbath. Then, answer these questions: What’s the definition of this word? How do I define it? How is it present in my life and my family’s life? What can I do to make this a greater part of my life?