Do You Have A Family Rhythm?

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." Ecclesiastes 3:1

What does it mean to find your family rhythm? Is it important? Heather and I have been talking a lot about our family's rhythm.

rhythm (noun) - a steady, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound.

/ˈriT͟Həm/

Life is weaved out of rhythms - the steady patterns and cycles that provide order and structure to our days, weeks, months and years. The rising and setting of the sun. The inhale and exhale of breath itself. God has woven rhythms into the changing of seasons, the very fabric of His creation.

When we attune ourselves to these natural cadences and develop routines and habits that align with them, we place ourselves in the flow of how God intended life to unfold. Rather than chaotically racing from one activity to the next, we harmonize with the rhythms all around us.

This truth extends to our family lives as well. While every family looks different, putting intentional rhythms and routines into place provides a steadying pattern and sense of secure predictability that allows kids to thrive. Regular meal times, bedtime rituals, weekly family nights - these anchoring traditions form the backdrop of childhood memories and ongoing healthy family traditions.

But these routines aren't just about schedules and checklists. They create space for what matters most - fostering connection, belonging, and being present with those we love. There is an epidemic in our culture, something which steals our ability to be present - screens. We must be careful to monitor screen time, technology time, and ensure our ability to be present with our family is not usurped by this all-powerful marriage of media and technology. By building strong family rhythms you create space, without technology, to connect on a very human level. To simplify and adjust life as needed.

Finding consistent family rhythms allows formative discipleship moments to take root naturally in the life-soil of each day. Shared meals around the table become opportunities to explore interests, nurture spiritual discussions, and encourage one another. Morning routines make space for families to connect before kicking off the barrage of busyness. Evening times of games, walks, stories, crafts, and conversations create opportunities to speak God's truth over hearts and minds.

Ultimately, our family rhythms create pathways for the next generation. Kids absorb the cadences of what we celebrate and prioritize far more through the pattern of our lives than just the words we speak. Families become "micro-churches", with unique cultures shaped by the way they leverage the sacred and ordinary moments when together around the table.

Each family's rhythm will look different based on your faith, morals, and ethical standards. But cultivating rhythmic spiritual practices plants the heart of God into the soil of family life.

Here are four things to work on:

1. Find a time to gather your family around the table (dinnertime?) to discuss the idea of establishing a family rhythm. Why is it important? What is it?
   

2. Write down your family's top ten interests, things you love to do.
   

3. Discuss which of those interests you can do together as a family.
   

4. Set up the rhythm by talking about when and how you can regularly explore these interests together. Make a family commitment to do it!

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