For many religious groups and communities, the global pandemic has reintroduced using the outdoors instead of temperature-controlled spaces or stations. But while such outdoor worship events seem to be a safer option for many people, practicing and holding these gatherings is absolutely safest to do within your family’s property.
As your family gathers to carry out your worship practices, it’s quite a waste not to actually use your indoor space and refreshing backyard. Not only can this help you keep your family members safe, but you also get to spend more intimate time and strengthen your faith and bond. Let’s discuss some simple ideas on how your family can continue with your worship practices without having to leave your property.
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Pray together (always)
You might have already heard about this many times, but it’s still rare for families to actually pray together. First and foremost, it’s important to know that this is more than just attending mass together or saying your prayers before meals. Gather as a family and pray before everyone hits the sack. This is a great way to express spontaneous gratitude to God. You have a choice to do this more casually or formally by reciting a Divine Mercy chaplet or sharing a Rosary. You can also add a few new changes by listening to inspirational talks.
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Craft a sacred indoor space
To make your family worship time or gathering more intimate and solemn, it’s best to craft a sacred area in your home. Find a room or nook where you can all gather for reflection, quiet reading, and prayer time. You can also use your walls to hang your favorite saints’ images and attached your family’s holy water font. Walking past this sacred space every day in your home will make it a lot easier for everyone, especially the kids, to tell God about their days or spend some time reflecting and praying. This small space transformation can absolutely change the atmosphere in your family and, of course, the house itself.
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Use the outdoors for activities
Using your yard space is not just a creative and new way of carrying out your worship gathering, but it’s also a healthier option. The fresh air and sunlight can promote health benefits to your family members. And if you find your kids getting bored or seem uninterested in your indoor scripture reading, then doing it outside can give them a change of scenery. In fact, outdoor worship spaces are becoming a trend for many as it reminds people of His beautiful creation, leading to inspiration for gratitude and praise.
If you have an open yard but want more privacy for your worship time, you can choose to invest in Trex fence gates, which are perfect for enclosing your outdoor area. Installing fences and gates is also a great way to minimize distractions, from noisy onlookers to cars. Want to add a personal touch for more inspiration? You can consider planting a graceful garden to better connect your family with His creation.
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Schedule your family time
Growing faith within those walls and fences are not just about making time for worship-focused moments and activities. Family time is also an essential component of strengthening your bond, from how you communicate to how you treat and respect each other. The reality is, many families ignore the importance of talking to each other.
For instance, kids and young adults become too focused on smartphones and social media that communicating with other family members rarely happens. Schedule your family time at least once or twice a week. If you have younger kids, you might want to consider doing it more often to have more time to discuss spirituality or for personal talks.
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Don’t forget scripture study
If there’s a perfect place to do a family scripture study, that’s your house. Your home can provide you with the privacy and intimacy you need when reading or listening to the lessons and stories in the scriptures. Plus, this is a great teaching opportunity to introduce your kids to the word of God. This habit should be practiced daily as it requires effort to actually become fluent in speaking the Holy Ghost’s language.
You can start by reading a couple of verses and gradually increase them into pages. Still, the number of verses you read isn’t the most important thing; it’s staying consistent and being able to actually understand the scripture. As you hold your family scripture studies, you can slowly teach your kids to read short phrases or verses themselves.
These at-home worship tips can surely be amazing options for families who want to create a stronger faith and relationship with each other without too many external distractions. It can save you from too many curious onlookers while giving you more private space for your own family routines.
