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Family at home

Shema

DEUTERONOMY 6:4-9 (NIV)

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4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. 

 

Shema Path

1. Parent Dedication (Ages newborn-2)
2. Blessing (Age 3)
3. Family Time (Age 4)
4. Gospel Conversation (Age 5)
5. Prayer (Age 6)
6. The Bible (Age 7)
7. Worship (Age 8)
8. Giving (Age 9)
9. Serving (Age 10)
10. Ready for Adolescence (Age 11)
11. Purity (Ages 12-13)
12. Identity (Ages 14-15)
13. Rite of Passage (Ages 16-17)
14. Launch (Ages 17-18)

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9. Serving (Age 10)

Teach Your Child to Make a Difference

 

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What is The Serving Step?

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Age 10 is a great time to help your child discover their unique gifts and then explore how they might use them for ministry or missions, which is why we’ve created the serving step on the Shema Path. As the primary faith trainer of your child, you can set a goal this year as a family to bless others together through the spiritual discipline of service.

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Put It Into Practice

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Begin by explaining that God has blessed and entrusted each of us with resources, gifts, time, and talents. With these, we have the opportunity to worship and honor Him through the spiritual discipline of service. Having been first loved and served by Jesus (1 John 4:19; Mark 10:45), we can joyfully and generously steward these blessings to serve others and bring Him glory (Matthew 5:16).

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Additionally, as parents, we have the privilege of helping our child discover their unique gifts, and then explore how they might use them for ministry or missions with the added blessing of finding ways to experience serving together. Your child will appreciate learning how God has wired them, and then seeing how they can bless others through serving.

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Next Steps

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Here are some simple suggestions for serving as a family:

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  • Do the GPS Exercise: Spend time talking with your child about their gifts (G), their passions (P), and the specific needs in your community (S). Talk through where those three things intersect and how your child can serve at that intersection.

  • Search for a Good Fit: Help your child find serving options based on the GPS exercise. It can be as simple as baking cookies for a homebound neighbor, or it can be an extended serving time such as a mission trip or meeting a particular need on a regular basis. 

  • Set Expectations: Put your child more at ease by explaining what to expect. For example, if you plan to visit a nursing home, he or she may encounter odd sights, sounds, and smells.

  • Build Your Relationships: Take note of what your child does well while serving. Intentionally encourage him or her by saying you are proud of how they demonstrated a great attitude or area of strength.

  • Be Safe: Keep a close eye on one another, especially children/teens if serving in unfamiliar settings.

  • Talk About It: Ask questions when you finish serving together such as…

    • What were you most encouraged by while serving today?

    • What kind of difference did you/we make?

    • What is one way that you saw the Lord at work?

    • How did it impact those you served?

    • How did it impact you/your family?

    • What is one thing you will walk away with from today?

  • Pray: Take a few minutes to pray, asking God to bless those you served.

 

 

Additional Resources

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