It has been my consistent experience that virtually every occasion, circumstance or opportunity I’ve entered into intending to help someone else, I am the one who has been changed. Many times, changed more dramatically than the poor soul I was seeking to help.

I think about the times when I’ve been on short term mission trips and come back a different person in many ways. I remember the times when I’ve met one-on-one with another brother, supposing that I might be able to help him grow spiritually, and find that my character is being shaped more dramatically than his. That holds true with our pattern of family devotions as well.

I come to the table most mornings with the intent of helping our kids know and love God and His Word, praying for one another, and thanking the Lord for what He’s done. And while I believe in faith that the Lord will take this and use it as part of the spiritual development of my kids, I know for certain that I have been shaped through the experience as a dad. As I look back over the last several years, and think specifically about this simple, short 15 minute daily discipline we engage in, there are at least three ways I believe the Lord has changed and is changing me that come readily to mind:

1. He is teaching me the beauty of simplicity.

I have a theological education. I’ve written a lot of words, read quite a few books, and sat in a lot of classes. Along the way, I have also enjoyed (probably too much) discussions about the finer points of doctrine and faith. But over these last years, in watching my kids grow and fumbling my way through being their dad, I’ve found the beautiful simplicity of the faith of children to be one of the most challenging aspects of life to my own faith.

We sit together over breakfast, and we read that the Lord promised this or told us to do that… and that’s it. These kids have not yet come to the point of cynicism about all things, and so a promise to them is still mostly a promise. If the Lord said it, then it must be true. How wonderful. And how challenging for me, as an adult, to simply trust and obey. There is indeed no other way to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey.

2. He is growing my persevering patience.

There we are, talking through a story from the Bible, and someone needs more syrup. Or a drink of water. Or is suddenly finished with breakfast and then just gets up and leaves. I’d like to think that my ego is weak enough and my patience is strong enough to handle interruptions like these well. But it’s hard.

Mercifully, though, it’s not as hard as it used to be. Thankfully, God takes the long road with us as our Father. He is content to walk with us through our experiences and circumstances, forming the image of Jesus in us a bit at a time rather than shaking His head in disappointment at our lack of progress. The Lord is using my children to build this same long road approach in me, I think, trusting that there is still power in simply opening up God’s Word every single day. Even when you can’t see the progress and certainly can’t feel it.

3. He is forcing me to think more deeply.

These kids and their questions. Most of the time, they’re fairly easy to field. But every once in a while, they’ve got a zinger. And often it’s not that the answer isn’t there; it’s more about how to communicate that answer in such a way that it’s understandable to a child.

And if I can’t communicate something true about God and His Word to a child, it should make me question how well I really understand that answer myself. This might actually be one of the best tests of whether we have truly internalized the truth of God’s Word – can we bring it back out in a simple, straight forward way without the crutch of our Christianeze vocabulary? In this, then, I find the Lord making me think more deeply about that which I would claim to already know.

In the end, God only knows how these moments we have for this season of life will shape our children in the future. So also, though, does He only know how I am being shaped by them at the same time. And it makes me wonder someday, when sin is but a memory and we are together in glory, just how much of my own formation came over waffles and eggs at the breakfast table?

If you’re interested in beginning a family devotion yourself, I’ve written a short e-book you can download for free. Just enter your email address on the right side of the blog and you’ll be able to download, and you’ll be able to receive daily blog updates via email.