Developing Your Family's Story

Making memories around the table. 

We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders which he has wrought. He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children; that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children 

-Psalm 78:4-6

A couple years ago, I was memorizing the above verses on my morning walk. As I sought to make the verses part of who I was (see Jeremiah 15:16), God revealed to me a great application for the Scriptures:

            Use mealtime to share My glorious deeds.

After all, shared meals are significant for families (see http://thefamilydinnerproject.org/resources/faq/). But shared meals don’t automatically become wonderful. If we eat in silence, bicker, or focus on idle chatter, we are spending time together, but we might be harder-pressed to call it quality time.

With our family, we have always sought to talk through our day, discuss highs and lows, and end suppertime with family devotions. But how much more exciting to share about the wonders God has wrought!

Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Start simply. Ask basic questions about what God is teaching everyone lately. This will likely lead to opportunities to discuss ways to learn from God (e.g. His Word, church, good podcasts, or books). Talking about the everyday things we learn is just as important as sharing the amazing stories. Nothing is too basic to mention.
2. Take some time to reflect and create a list. Then pull out that list every once in a while to trigger a story. Look back on those times when something happened that was undeniably God at work. I have shared with family and friends around the table some of the same “impossible” stories shared through this blog (http://thebookoflifeblog.blogspot.com/2014/02/an-impossible-proposal.html and http://thebookoflifeblog.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-amazing-airport-run.html are favorites).
3.  Affirm everyone’s efforts, and be sure siblings do the same. We want to be clear from the start that we are all learning storytelling skills. We need to show patience with each other as we grow.
4. Don’t be afraid to share the same stories. After all, repeated stories become part of your family’s story—your legacy. We have a funny tale about “midget bears” that is often referenced. How much more exciting when the story of how God provided for Mom’s college expenses becomes an oft-repeated tale! 

My prayer is that our habit of sharing about God’s wondrous deeds will not only make God’s power and love central to our family’s story, but that the habit itself will be passed on to generations to come.

What are your ideas for making this habit part of your family life?

What glorious deeds of the Lord do you have to share?