Example

These two things can both be true at once- The most important place to live for Jesus is at home and the hardest place to live for Jesus is at home. The people who know you best and see your life unvarnished are those who live with you. For those of us who call ourselves Christians, our Oikos (immediate world)develops their idea of what faith means and whether Christianity is legit in large part by watching us.

Now, lest that last paragraph feels like too much pressure, know this: You don’t have to be as perfect as God. You must pursue God. Let your kids, your spouse, your siblings, your cousins see someone who desires to know and live like Jesus and is chasing that goal.

What would that look like? Probably hundreds of things, but let me give you just three, built around the word RUN:

Repent. The ability to say we are sorry is one of the most impactful human habits and harder to live out than we think. It takes humility, and when we live humbly we make a world of difference in our personal world.

Upgrade your Habits. Pursue this quietly. You don’t need to flaunt that you read your Bible or pray daily. You won’t have to point out that you serve others around the house. They will see it.

Never Stop Growing. Being imperfect is not an excuse for being disinterested in becoming more like Jesus. Eventually your family will be saying to one another “Dad is less angry all the time.” “Mom is more generous than ever before.” “My sister is not just chasing every boy that looks cute.”

Home is the incubator of genuine faith. Don’t expect your family to love Jesus if they only see him at church. Let them see him right in the middle of their home.