Here on the Stegeman home front, we have started another year of homeschooling. And no matter whether school is in session or out of session, one thing is always a priority, and that is the practice of family worship. It is a rare day when we miss our family time of worship, so much so that the kids have now come to expect it.

There are many benefits to family worship, but one of the things Steph and I have noticed is that it is the perfect way to start the homeschooling day. Here are 7 benefits.

1. You start off in the textbook of all textbooks, the Bible. This is a great reminder to your children that there is a book that far surpasses all other books, and that is God’s Book.
2. We as parents are reminded of the purpose of all our education, and that is to be disciples of Jesus Christ and to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Yes, we want to give our kids a good education and we want them to succeed in life, but even more so, we want them to love God and follow Jesus all of their days.
3. Family worship often provides a point of reference for things that are taught and learned later on. Steph has told me that she sometimes refers back to our Bible lesson later in the day. “Remember when Daddy talked about so and so……” Thus, earlier lessons are being reinforced.
4. Family Worship provides an opportunity to reinforce something else…..rules and expectations in the home. If the kids are goofing off and fooling around, I quickly remind them that that kind of behavior will not be tolerated. Mommy and Daddy expect them to listen and pay attention, whether they are learning history and science, or we are doing family worship, being well-behaved is always important.
5. Family Worship offers the chance for us to pray together. As we get our day going, Steph and I can pray with the kids about specific things they are dealing with (like having a bad attitude). Or we can pray about the day in general, asking the Lord to take care of us and be at work in our hearts. We can also pray for grace when it comes to treating one another with love and kindness, and being forgiving. Thus, times of family prayer serve as a reminder of our great need for our Heavenly Father.
6. Family worship reminds us that we are a family, and families do things together. First and foremost – we worship the Lord together. As I said earlier, our goal as parents is not for them to be standouts in the eyes of the world, but for them to be disciples of Jesus Christ. As homeschooling parents, we don’t want to give our kids the impression that life is simply about achieving academic success. Rather we want our children to see that life is about worshipping and serving the Lord God (Romans 11:33-36).
7. Family Worship reminds us as parents that we need to be patient with our children. If you are a homeschooling parent, you know how stressful it can be at times. Homeschooling parents (particularly Moms) are often very busy with a ton of stuff on their plates. Just like in everything, we need God’s grace to treat our children right and to be patient with them.
8. Lastly, family worship sets the tone for the day. It is kind of like a “team huddle” that helps get everyone on the same page. After spending time in the Word, time in prayer, and sometimes even singing a hymn or two, Stephane will often brief the kids and give them a sense for what the day holds.

Whether you are a homeschooling family or not, you will find that there is no better way to start off your day than in family worship. As I have said in other posts on family worship, it doesn’t have to be long. You simply want to point your children to Christ and help them to see that following Him is infinitely more important than anything else.