We have been exploring the concept of vocation and your sense of call by God. It is easy to overlook the fact that your whole family is seriously affected by the decisions you make with respect to your call. It was not only Abram, for example, who left Haran to respond to God’s call. Sarai, their nephew Lot, and all there family and servants were also uprooted. As you explore your understanding of God’s call in your life, it is good to include your family in such discussions as well. Ideally all of your family can recognize God’s call with respect to their response as it is affected by your choices.
Let me suggest a game that you might play with your family that might open up such a discussion. Make it a fun evening or even a day away as a family. Perhaps you can have some special treats or other activities as part of the experience.
If your family includes teenagers, they may have even played another version of this game. My version is as follows. Because of your previous work as suggested in prior blogs, you have gathered several biblical stories of God’s call to a variety of people in a variety of circumstances. List a few of them and let the family pick one with which to begin. Read the biblical account of the story a couple of time aloud.
Now, the rules are that your family is going to explore that story in 15 second bursts. It would be good to have a timer with a bell. The first person begins to tell the story. When the bell goes off, the next person picks up where the first person left off and continues the story. The family is invited to expand on the story imaginatively by telling how people felt, what their setting was, what they were thinking, etc. They might even have a few lines about what God was thinking.
Once the story is completed, again in 15 second bursts, and including feelings, setting, thinking, etc., have the family compose the story of your family’s response to God’s call in their lives. Include all members of the family. Begin with what God was thinking, and then speak of how each member thinks, feels, etc. Include what they both hope and fear. They might even speak more about how God is thinking that each member is included in the call and how God is molding the story.
When the story seems finished, close with a family sentence prayer with each member offering their part. Then, perhaps a pizza, dessert, or some other form of family celebration.
