{"id":143180,"date":"2023-02-09T13:18:38","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T19:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/?p=143180"},"modified":"2023-02-09T13:18:38","modified_gmt":"2023-02-09T19:18:38","slug":"7-essentials-to-help-you-be-the-spiritual-leader-of-your-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/articles\/topics\/parenting\/essentials\/fathers\/7-essentials-to-help-you-be-the-spiritual-leader-of-your-family\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Essentials To Help You Be the Spiritual Leader of Your Family"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Many of us desire to bring spiritual leadership to our homes, but the topic often heaps on guilt or can be paralyzing. We have a gnawing sense that we can never live up to what we think we should be. We get these expectations of ourselves\u2014or maybe a spouse or somebody else\u2014or we compare ourselves to another person who is hyper-disciplined and always has the perfect thing to share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a recovering perfectionist who used to live with rigid and almost oppressive organization, I\u2019ve embraced and learned (thanks largely to my patient wife) how to flex and adapt to opportunities each new day brings. I often find myself in the messy middle when trying to be an intentional spiritual leader. To say the least, I’ve got major weaknesses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if helping our family depend on God is one of the primary aims of being a spiritual leader for our families<\/a>, then our weakness is actually an advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As spouses and parents, we should <\/em>care about being good at the job, but being the spiritual leaders of our families goes a little deeper than our performance. When we pursue having genuinely great relationships with our families, God can use us to enable our spouses and kids to live more fully in the worth they have as being uniquely created in the image of God. In this way, your spiritual leadership will ripple into your family’s future for generations to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let me be the first to call out that Meg and I don\u2019t do this perfectly\u2014we\u2019re having to fight for it\u2014but compassionately raising followers of Jesus in our home is a fight worth fighting for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being the spiritual leader of your family<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d love to share seven of my favorite areas to help you be the spiritual leader of your family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Stop comparing yourself to others.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A strong mentor, Crawford Loritts, once said  to me, \u201cLook, God called you. Ride the horse God gave you.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s a huge lesson for us all. I think a lot of us struggle being the leaders we want to be because of the weight of comparison to others or the nonexistent “ideal” leader. Comparison weighs us down. Though God calls us for His specific purpose, He uniquely created each of us to lead with the shoes He designed for us. Comparing our walk with Christ to another\u2019s only gets us off track and out of focus. We are each wonderfully made for God\u2019s plan as we lead our families. Let\u2019s lean into that (see Psalm 139:14<\/a>).  You are the only husband your wife has, and you have been created and hand-picked by God to be the father of your kids. You are called to be you in Christ and not someone else.<\/p>\n\n\n

What could your family do with 500 Hours? Take the challenge.<\/i><\/span> <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n

2. Actively participate.<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Who doesn\u2019t like a good 3D movie with surround sound? It allows each scene to come alive as if you\u2019re actually in the movie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, when we transparently participate and engage in spiritual growth with our families, they are seeing and hearing us draw closer to Jesus. Whether it’s being the first to apologize, asking your kids to pray with you on something you\u2019re struggling with, or simply letting them see you spend time with Jesus somewhere consistent in your house, genuinely reflecting Christ in our home through participation is powerful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Don\u2019t stop.<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n