What are we talking about today?
Lately, I have been memorizing Psalm 1.
As I’ve spent time in this short and sweet song of the Bible, God has pointed me to big lessons for how I lead and shape my family life. Sometimes, life gets so busy that I get stuck on autopilot and forget to be intentional about these things! That happens to all of us.
So join me today as we dive into Psalm 1 and look at 3 lessons we can learn about how to shape our family life intentionally.
If we are not intentionally leaning into the Lord, we will much more easily get swept away from him by the tides of culture.
Hit play, my friend, and let’s dive in.
Listen to Episode 34:
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If today’s topic is meaningful for you, make sure to check out these other podcast episodes:
- Episode 7 and Episode 8 // An introduction to the What, Why, and How of Loving Your Family Well
- Episode 26 // Handling the conviction of the Holy Spirit WITHOUT condemnation and WITH an action plan
- Episode 17 // How can I be a good parent? Let’s apply 4 helpful Bible passages to this key parenting question.
Next up, if you are looking to deepen your own time in God’s Word and understand it better, grab a free copy of the Holy Habits: 45-Day Bible & Prayer Challenge. This resource is a straightforward guide through developing a habit of daily time in the Bible and prayer.
And finally, let me point you to my favorite tool for shaping my family life (or at least, our weekly schedule and the overall framework for how we spend our time) – The Hope Planner.
This planner is my absolute favorite because it makes sure that I prioritize my relationships first. There is a special section for tracking devotional habits like reading the Bible daily, and each week’s schedule starts with a focus on prayer. (Not to mention, it’s a pretty planner that I like to see on my desk!)
Check out The Hope Planner.
[This post may contain affiliate links. If a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.]
Today's Episode Highlights
I’ve been memorizing Psalm 1 lately, and the Lord has pointed out important truths for how I and my husband should be shaping and leading our family life.
(You’ll get the most from listening to the full episode!)
There are 3 lessons that I see drawn out in this short psalm:
Whom do we spend time with?
Where do we focus our attention?
What can we expect from God?
Our time
As we open with verse 1, we see an incredible emphasis placed on whom we spend time with.
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers
This is, of course, true for me as a woman, a wife, and a mom. Who do I spend time with?
But this is also true of my children. As they grow and develop friendships, I have a responsibility as their mom to guide them in those friendships. Whom are they allowed to spend time with? Is that time unsupervised and free or do they need parental supervision?
We want to surround ourselves with people who point us to Jesus… not the world.
Our attention
We continue into verse 2 and see an emphasis on how we spend our time and attention.
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
Again, this is particularly true for me personally – how much time and attention am I really giving to God’s Word? Am I in the Bible daily? Am I talking to him in prayer throughout the day?
Is the Lord truly my delight?
And then I think about my children! As moms, we have a responsibility to bring joy and depth to family Bible discussions and times of prayer and worship.
This requires creativity and flexibility, to meet our children where they are at spiritually and developmentally… this also calls me to be consistent, authentic, and passionate.
In our family, we spend time every morning after breakfast with a quick prayer, Bible story, theology question, and song. Our kids aren’t even 2 yet – this is a total of under 5 minutes! For now. For this season. But we are setting the stage for the future. We are showing our kids already where our priority lies.
Our expectations
The remainder of the psalm (verses 3-6) show us what we can expect from God as we are intentional about our friends, our time, and our attention.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Throughout the Bible, we see the repeating promise that the righteous will experience God’s blessing and the wicked, those who reject or ignore God, will experience judgment and destruction.
This is not an easy and pleasant thing to consider.
Nor is this a promise that Christians will have the easy life! (Just check out John 16 and Jesus’ promise that “in this world, you will have trouble.” v.33)
If we seek the Lord, and lead our family to do the same, we can expect God’s blessing, protection, and grace.
I cannot control if my children decide to follow Jesus – but I can introduce them to Jesus, show them a genuine life lived with Jesus, pray for them and with them, and let them see how Jesus leads my life.
Ultimately, as a mom, I’ve been challenged by Psalm 1 to be purposeful about our people, our time and attention, and our overall family life. I want to lean into the Lord, not lean into the world.
If I am not intentional about this, the pressures and temptations of this world will threaten to sweep me – and my young, impressionable children – away from Jesus. What can I do?
- I can pray – and shepherd us toward healthy friends and relationships.
- I can pray – and show genuine enthusiasm and consistency for time in God’s Word and in prayer.
- I can pray – and let my family see my authentic faith, the ups and downs, and expect God to fulfill his promises of grace and goodness for me.
Hey, before you go!
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