Family ShiftSample

Day 6

Teach By Example

Shift In Purpose 

Thought For The Day

You teach what you know; you reproduce who you are. -Jack Frost  

Verse For The Day

Ephesians 5:1-2 (TPT) Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

In all our years working with couples and families we have seen miraculous things happen.  We’ve seen marriages put back together. We've witnessed sons and daughters who have drifted and strayed away from home and God, come back.  We’ve wept bitter tears, and we have celebrated with tears of joy because of the healing and renewed hope and trust restored in fractured families.  

Here is what we know to be true: We can’t do life alone.  We need each other to pray for us, to encourage us and support us. Why? Because not one of us is perfect.  We’ve all messed up and made mistakes.  When we mess up and fall short of each other’s expectations, it reinforces the fact that we are frail and fragile people.  That is why there is no such thing as a perfect person, marriage, or family.  Only God can help us become who He has created us to be.  That is why we don’t look to each other or to our culture to be something or somebody we’re not.  The only person we should look to as our model, and example, is Jesus Christ.  

With God’s help, we have found three things that we can do to follow Christ's example when it comes to our spouse and children.  

1. Love Them Unconditionally

The best way to demonstrate love to one another is by the way we treat one another.  If we want to make the needed shifts in our lives that will create an atmosphere of security in our marriage and our home, we need to start showing unconditional love and acceptance to each other.  How?  By loving them for who they are, not for what they do. 

2.  Lead Them Intentionally

How do we lead with greater intention every day?  We do this in our talk. Why is our talk so important?  Because our kids are listening. Another way we lead with greater intention is in our walk.  Why is our walk so important?  Because our kids are watching.  The sobering truth is that our life is a stage for all to see and hear.  

3. Let Go of Them Purposefully

What is the goal of parenting? To gradually transfer a child’s dependence away from you as a parent until it rests solely on God.  One of our all-time favorite statements on parenting is by Andy Stanley: “Your greatest contribution to the kingdom of God may not be something you do but someone you raise.”

Imagine what it would be like if couples and families decided to stop drifting and start living with greater intention.  Imagine the difference we could make in our world for generations to come.  

This is our prayer for you. Remember, we cannot become who we need to be by remaining who we are.  Our prayer is that you will make the necessary shifts in your family so you can become everything God has made you to be.  

Prayer For The Day

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the journey I have been on the past six days.  Thank you for showing me the necessary shifts I need to make in my marriage and family so we can start living with greater intention.  Help my family to embrace these shifts and to apply them so we can fulfill our purpose in serving you and each other.  In Jesus’s name, amen. 

Make The Shift

Go back over the different action steps or “shifts” at the end of each devotional.  Make sure you have clearly defined your family’s mission and vision statements, and that you have identified your family’s core values.  Put them in a frame and keep them visible for all to see in your home. Remember, our stated values aren’t nearly as important as the values we live out. 

To download a free 7 Day Family Challenge or to access other family tools and resources go to familyshift.com