“Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.” – Deuteronomy 6:4-6
Growing up in a believing household, I was very familiar with the Christian rhythms: praying the same prayer before dinner, church on Sundays, youth group on Wednesdays, VBS during the summer, camp during winter.
All of these were meant to bolster the faith of our family. But looking back, for as much as I loved my church community and experience growing up, by the time I was in high school, I was ready to walk away from the faith. Years of simply following the motions had left my soul desiring something more….but what was it?
Designed to Learn
In the garden, God created Adam and Eve in complete innocence—not knowing good nor evil. The purpose was to walk with God, listening to His words and learning to imitate His goodness to creation.
We are, at our core, designed to learn. We have a propensity for growth; a need to always be maturing. But what we grow in and who we are maturing into is wholly dependent upon where (or who) we’re learning from.
Setting a Framework for Growth
As God established Israel as a nation, He provides a model for spiritual growth. He first sets the source of our learning: “The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.” If we are to become who we were created to be, we must reclaim the garden life, walking with and learning from God.
But before we begin to do for God, we must learn to simply enjoy Him. The first command given to us in Deuteronomy 6 (which becomes known as the Greatest Commandment; see Matthew 22:37-38) is to love the Lord with everything that makes us human—our hearts, soul, and strength.
If we want to grow in line with God’s good plan, and avoid the deception that Adam and Eve fell into, we must love the Lord above all else. In doing so, our hearts are inclined to commit [ourselves] wholeheartedly to these commandments that [He gives us].
Practical Steps
Just like each of our families have similar traits yet differ wildly in their individual expression, our pathway to spiritual growth will relate. There are elements that we must all embrace in our disciplines to achieve maturity: Bible reading, prayer, meditation, worship, serving, etc. Yet, how these are implemented may vary from family to family.
Some may choose to gather in the morning for a family devotion. Others might have a day of the week to give back to the community. Maybe you find your best time together is in the evenings, where you’ve chosen to take prayer requests and intercede for one another.
Take Heart
Whether you’re parents raising children, a couple looking to find harmony between one another, or a young adult living on their own but connected to your family, God has crafted your heart, mind, and soul in such a way to desire growth. Each one of us, even in our lowest moments, longs to blossom into something beautiful.
For the family whose affection for the Lord stands above all else and is determined to learn from Him and obey Him, blessings will be poured out. Take each season with stride, constantly asking God, what would you have for our family today? While some days the process may be slow and the fruit small, you can be sure that God will be faithful to complete the good work He’s started in your family.
