It was in 1823 that John Howard Payne, the sixth of nine children, wrote his tender song, “Home, Sweet Home.”
The last lines of that song say:
Home! Home!
Sweet, sweet, home
There is no place like home.
There is no place like home.
This time of year, our thoughts turn to home, whether it’s our childhood home and experience or maybe creating new traditions with our own children.
As you gather together this Thanksgiving, don’t forget to take advantage of the casual moments to teach your child about God’s principles.
It doesn’t have to be some big, perfect moment in a perfect devotional setting; teaching moments can happen any time. (It can happen while you’re running to the store for that last forgotten ingredient and someone cuts you off in traffic or when a family discussion gets heated and you have to choose to walk in love,etc.)
Our children are always watching us and despite what it can seem like, they are listening as well.
What the Word Says
So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up…”(Deut. 11:18-19 NKJV)
Don’t worry about being perfect. There are no perfect people. Start where you are with what you have.
Share, in casual ways, what God has done for you and for your family. It’s encouraging and faith-building for your child to hear these praise reports.
We tell our children stories about the family, so let’s make a point to share something that God has done for our family. Try getting your children and other family members in on it too!
Don’t let these little moments at home pass you by.
Joe McGee, author, national conference speaker, father, and former school administrator, is the founder and director of Joe McGee Ministries, Inc. and Faith For Families Ministries.
Joe presents some of the most entertaining yet practical and insightful teaching on the family available today. Packing more into one sermon than anyone you've ever met, Joe's insights into relationships will open up scriptural secrets and common-sense applications which will powerfully change your marriage, your family and your life. He comes with years of experience and a humorous easy to listen to style that will help families become who God intended them to be.
A husband of more than 30 years and father of six children, Joe, along with his wife, Denise, has invested the past 20 years in family, marriage, and parenting issues.
Joe and his family currently make their home in Tulsa, Oklahoma.