Spending time with God

 February 2008 

Over the past month, I have been thinking about how difficult it is for many families to pray and share together. This is especially so in the Western World. Once children have developed a lifestyle of such things as watching TV, playing computer games and texting their friends, it becomes difficult for them to spend time with the Lord on their own. And then to have a consistent sharing time with the rest of the family appears to me to be extremely difficult. Once children reach about 11 years of age, many do not want to pray and share with their families. The earlier parents get their children praying and sharing with them, the better, before other things take priority in their lives.

I have been encouraged by a niece and her husband with their family. They have 8 children whom they home-school. Their eldest child, Tony, is 17. Twice before, they have introduced the Quiet Time/ Sharing times into their family, but have eventually discontinued having them. They are having another try.

I suggested to them that with the younger children, they do the Quiet Times as part of their school work. That's what Kathy did with our children. Both Isaac & Priscilla learnt to read and write doing Quiet Times, so their school work was an add-on to their Quiet Times. Tony is now helping the younger children with their Quiet Times.

I also suggested that initially, as a family, they share their blessings and give thanks for their blessing without sharing their Quiet Times. Some time in the future they could introduce the sharing of their Quiet Times. It is a wonderful thing for a family to give thanks to the Lord for all his blessings.

Here is an update on Nana: She has continued to deteriorate and now is completely bedridden. She can barely stand when we put her in a wheel chair. Despite all this, she is mainly at peace and happy.

One day she said to me, "I am just like a little baby who can't do anything for herself." Because she is blind, she has great difficulty even feeding herself. When she said, "I am just like a baby," I thought about the incredible joy that a new born baby can bring to a family. I realize that in a similar way, Nana is bringing great joy to our family. It is a blessing for Kathy & I to see our children caring for Nana in the way that they do.

We give thanks to the Lord that as a family, we can care for Nana like this. We realize that many families are not in a position to care for their elderly parents. In New Zealand, the government also provides for caregivers to help elderly people stay in their own houses. A caregiver, who is a family friend, now comes in for 3.5 hours each day to assist in the care of Nana.

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