The sky was dark and the alarm clock taunted my sleeping body. It was just after 5am and we were on vacation. The thought was fairly understandable: Why on earth did I set that alarm?
Oh yes, I remember.
I scrambled to my feet and announced that it was time for everyone to jump in the car. All 4 children were startled but quickly full of excitement. We piled in the car and drove the 1 mile to the beach.
The morning was a little chilly for Florida, but it didn’t seem to bother anyone. We made ourselves a spot on the beach under a blanket and cuddled close. At first we sat for what seemed liked hours just talking and praying and remembering all the wonderful things that God had given us on this special trip.
And then it finally happened. A tiny speck of light appeared out of the vast darkness and the squeals could not be contained. “There it is! The sun is coming up!” We watched on the tips of our chairs (ok the tip of the sand) as each beam peeked into the sky.
I’ll be honest. It was probably one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I don’t know if it was the reminder of God’s goodness or the squeezing of those excited little hands, but my heart was so full that I thought it might burst.
You see, our family worked very hard at building the unity that we needed to not just survive the storms that we were facing, but to rise victorious in the circumstances. For years we had been hanging on by a thread, or so it seemed.
But that morning on the beach, God reminded me of all His glorious works and I saw all of that and more. It didn’t come in a fancy package or an amazing activity. (In fact, that trip to the beach was completely free.)
The beauty came from a simple sacrifice of my agenda to spend time pouring into their lives.
Friend, while we walk this earth, we will face trials. Whether we have just come through the fire, stand so close to the heat that it burns, or find ourselves waiting for our next turn, we will need to build the kind of family unity that will walk us through victoriously.
Are you game? I hope so, because I have created a free ebook for you that I know you won’t want to miss. It’s 10 core ways to build family unity, with over 100 practical ideas. Each way is a principle that you can apply to your life today. These ideas will serve as a guide and resource to help you build a family that will stand strong together no matter what life brings.
You can refer to the book or print the pages to keep in your homemaking binder or even hang on the fridge. (Most ideas do contain clickable links though, so keep that in mind!)
Get Your FREE copy of Simple Ways to Build Family Unity
We’ve combined all of our best resources for discipling your children into one amazing download and it’s absolutely FREE to members of our community. Click the image below to download our 81+ page collection of printables today.
I love your stuff! Thanks for being so open and honest. It brings hope in dark times. And just plain old “mom” times! 🙂
Thank you so very much for taking the time to put this together! I’m a newly single mom after 28 years of marriage and the Lord brought this to me at just the perfect time : )
Thank you for sharing your gift with us! I love it.
You’re welcome!
So I was looking through search engines to see what my 5 year old’s issue was with behaviors he was exhibiting at daycare and not at home, and your website came up. It was so God directed. I ordered your Because I said So and your Do Right Junior. One to help my 4 young children learn what the Lord says and to also teach myself how to teach them what God wants from us.
What a blessing this great ministry is! I wasn’t raised a christian, God called me anyway. I am learning how to be a Christian mom, and what it means to Raise them up in the Lord. Thank you so very much for giving me the resources to help me do that.
Tonight I say down and went through two devotionals and my two 5 years olds. my one 3 year old and my often crabby 14 years old acted like we were playing a fun game and they were really learning. Praise the Lord for you and your ministry!!
Thank you Thank you Thank you
This was a beautiful moment. Yes, it can be hard to create family unity, but it’s so worth it. Recently two different people told me that my kids were at their best selves when they were with their siblings, and how blessed I was. My heart overflowed at that. Unity is so beautiful <3
Thank you for sharing it. very love it.