4 Ways To Make God The Head Of The Family

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1. Make Time For God
This admonition may seem like common sense, but it is foundational, and often overlooked as we go about our busy lives.

The simple act of meeting a few days a week at dinner to talk about God can make all the difference.

Don’t be afraid to assign everyone a little homework—that includes yourself, your spouse, and your children. Read scripture. Talk about it.

God needs to feel close to everyone in a family—not just the abstract idea of a distant creator heard about on Sunday mornings, but a personal, loving God from whom we can learn how to best live.

Make time to allow Him to be an active part of your lives.

Jesus says, in Matthew 4:4, that we’re not to live on “bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

This means that we need more than the material, more than the everyday. We need spiritual nourishment.

Make time for God, just as you would a beloved family member , and He’ll begin to feel like more than a nebulous presence—He’ll be family.

Create the vertical relationship with Him, and it will flow into the horizontal relationships around you.

2. Invite Questions
Invite questions of faith in your family.
It’s important to create a safe space where family members can ask difficult questions.

If your children question the existence of God because of something their friend told them He’s not real, or if they’re anguished over why God allows tragedy to happen, don’t get angry.

Get talking. God makes sense, and all of reality—and thus, all questions—will point back to Him.

You may have to educate yourself or reach out to outside sources such as pastors or theology teachers, but strengthened, affirmed faith is well worth it.

Putting up walls and making questions off-limits only fosters division and resentment—especially for children, but sometimes for spouses, as well.

This creates an environment where it is easier to simply walk away from God because secular answers become more satisfying.

God gave us intelligent, reasoning minds—satisfy those minds, and your faith will be all the stronger.

3. Demonstrate Love
God loves His children in a way that none of us can understand, despite knowing our every errant thought, our every flaw, and our every imperfection.

Recognizing that love and striving to show the same in your own family not only creates a loving home, but provides an example of God’s characters to outside observers.

We should strive to love our spouse and children in an unconditional way—not only this, but we should make that love known. Our families shouldn’t have to guess—it should be apparent that they are well-loved.

And how can you do this?
You get to know your family. Find out what makes them tick, what they love, what they can’t stand.

Connect with them on these subjects.
Find out what your daughter is reading and read it, too.

Pick up that second controller when your son plays a video game.

Join your husband on that hike.
People are deeply multi-dimensional creatures, and having someone take a genuine interest in what makes you unique is one of the best feelings around.

Doing your best to actively love your family as God does sets a great example for others, and encourages your whole family to emulate this characteristic of God.

Don’t model the human brokenness which comes from attempting to lead by yourself. Place God at the top, and be the best family you can be.

4. Serve Together
Modern life seems to conspire against togetherness—there are myriad ways to entertain yourself without any human interaction at all.

But families who engage in activities together are closer, happier, and communicate better.

Just as the trinity of God represents perfection in closeness, community, and communication, you should strive to be a human representation of the same.

What better way to do this than by helping others?
Your local church likely has numerous volunteer opportunities such as food drives, community cleanup, and other kinds of outreach programs.

This shows the secular community what Christians are capable of, drawing outsiders in.

If we take the example of Jesus, which Mark 10:45 tells us is, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many,” we know that serving others pleases God, so Honor him as a family, and volunteer.