Family Devotions

Joash enjoys describing what's on the picture.

Daddy reading the chapter to the kids.

Joash: "The man is angry!"

Joshua: "Yes, he is angry with his

brothers and disobeying God..."

We've been having family devotions since Jayna was born and it is getting tougher to complete each session. As an infant, Jayna could only listen to the story while Joash was still not very interactive due to his lack of vocabulary and each session could be done in 5 short minutes as a chapter of the Big Picture Story Bible isn't very long.

Now that Jayna is mobile and is far more interested in flipping the pages at inappropriate moments, playing with the bible itself or simply romping on our bed than the story that's being read, one of us has to restrain her or carry her while the other read to a slightly more receptive Joash. Unfortunately, Joash's interest is not particularly in what is being read or explained. Instead, he is very eager to describe the pictures in ways that have little to do with the moral of the story. It is exhausting to constantly acknowledge what he says and yet at the same time steer the topic back to what is pertinent and try to relate it to him at a level he understands. Each devotion can last up to 20 mins now with all the interruptions.

I pray that despite the obvious difficulties and the seeming futility at the moment, we'll still press on to spend time with our kids reading the word of God. May our children one day bear the fruit of the spirit and we shall indeed reap the harvest in joy!