Joyful Harvest

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest. Galatians 6:9

Gigi Graham Tchividjian and her husband, Stephan, are experts on the trials and joys of parenthood—they had seven children. Not surprisingly, considering the twenty-year span between their oldest and youngest kids, they often struggled with family activities such as devotions. It was a constant challenge to present material that held the attention of the older children and was also understandable to the younger ones. Sometimes it was a battle just to get them all into the same room!

Yet Gigi and Stephan persisted. They knew that family devotions often led children to a deep love for God’s Word. And years later, they began to see the fruits of their efforts. Stephan, for instance, ran into one of his sons walking in town with his fiancée. The son remarked, “We’ve just finished having our devotions together in the car.” Another son related to Gigi over lunch how much their family devotional times had meant to him. They’d shown him that the Christian life was a daily, workable reality. Gigi realized then that the years of struggle had been worth it.

You, too, may wonder if you’ll ever see the fruits of your parenting efforts. We believe that if you persevere, then at the “proper time” you will indeed reap a joyful harvest.

Before you say good night…

Are you persevering in your spiritual goals for your children?

In what areas did you struggle most when your kids were small, and what solutions did you find?

How can you help each other “not become weary” as parents?

Dear Father, sometimes we become so bogged down in the daily battles that we lose sight of where we’re going. Help us, Father. Empower us to make the most of our opportunities today…to love, to counsel, to warn, and to teach. Amen.

• From Night Light For Parents, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson
  Copyright © 2000 by James Dobson, Inc. All rights reserved.

Illustration adapted from Weatherproof Your Heart by Gigi Graham Tchividjian (Old Tappan, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell Company, 2000).