What if the best thing that happened to your family’s faith this year didn’t happen at church, it happened on a Tuesday afternoon in your living room?

This 7-day family devotional is designed to help you do just that. Each day takes about 10–15 minutes, includes a key verse, a short reflection for parents, a question for the whole family, a simple activity for kids, and a prayer you can pray together. No experience required. No perfect family needed.

Just you, your people, and a God who loves to meet you right where you are.

Day 1: You Are Known — Finding Rest in God’s Presence

“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.” Psalm 139:1

For Parents

Summer break often brings one unexpected thing: noise. More kids at home means more chaos, more conflict, more “Mom, he touched me!” from the backseat. It can be exhausting and easy to feel unseen in the middle of it all.

But Psalm 139 reminds us of something extraordinary: God knows us. Completely. Not just our highlight reel, but our messy mornings, our short fuses, our 3 AM worries. He knows us, and He still chooses to be near.

That’s not a small thing. That’s everything.

Family Discussion Question

“What’s one thing you think only God knows about you?”

Activity for Kids

Give every family member a piece of paper. Have everyone write or draw something that only God knows about them (a secret hope, a fear, a dream). Fold them up (you don’t have to share!). Then remind each other: God knows all of it, and He loves us anyway.

Pray Together

God, thank You for knowing us (really knowing us) and loving us still. Help our family feel Your presence today, especially in the ordinary moments. Amen.

Day 2: Made to Create — How God Uses Our Gifts

“We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

For Parents

Summer is the perfect time to watch your kids come alive. One child draws for hours. Another builds elaborate forts. One will organize the entire pantry if you let her. Those quirks aren’t accidents. They’re glimpses of how God wired your child on purpose, for a purpose.

Ephesians 2:10 tells us we are God’s handiwork. His masterpiece. The Greek word is poiema, the same root as our word “poem.” Your child is God’s poetry. So are you.

Family Discussion Question

“What’s something you’re really good at that you think God gave you?”

Activity for Kids

Spend 20 minutes doing a creative project together. Build something with LEGOs, make friendship bracelets, paint rocks, or bake muffins for a neighbor. When you’re done, talk about how creating things together might give us a tiny glimpse of how God felt when He made us.

Pray Together

God, thank You for making each of us on purpose. Help us use our gifts to love the people around us. Show us today one “good work” You’ve already prepared for us. Amen.

Day 3: Brave Enough — Trusting God When You’re Scared

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

For Parents

Joshua heard these words right before one of the most daunting assignments of his life. He was about to lead an entire nation into unfamiliar territory. And God didn’t say, “Don’t worry, it’ll be easy.” He said, “I will be with you.”

That’s the deal. Not a promise of easy, a promise of presence. Your kids are facing their own “unfamiliar territory” this summer like new friendships, new challenges, fears they may not have words for yet. This is a great day to name the fear and point them to the One who goes with them.

Family Discussion Question

“Is there something you’re nervous about this summer or when school starts back? What would it look like to trust God with it?”

Activity for Kids

Make a “courage jar.” Have everyone write one thing they’re afraid of on a slip of paper. Put them all in the jar. Close the lid. Pray over the jar together, literally handing those fears to God. Keep the jar somewhere visible as a reminder.

Pray Together

Lord, we don’t want to be afraid, but sometimes we are. Thank You for promising to go with us everywhere. Help us choose courage because we trust You. Amen.

Day 4: Overflow — What It Means to Be Generous

“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7

For Parents

Here’s the honest truth about generosity: it doesn’t come naturally to any of us, kids or adults. Our default is to hold on. Protect what’s ours. Make sure we have enough first.

But generosity is one of the most powerful ways we look like Jesus. And summer, with its slower pace and more margin, is a great time to practice it. Not because we have to. Because we get to.

Family Discussion Question

“What’s something you have (time, money, stuff, a skill) that you could share with someone else this week?”

Activity for Kids

Plan a family act of generosity together. It could be making a meal for a neighbor, donating a bag of toys, leaving an anonymous gift on someone’s porch, or spending an afternoon serving at a local ministry. Let the kids take the lead on what to do and how to do it.

Pray Together

God, You gave us everything we have. Help us hold it all loosely and give cheerfully, not because we have to, but because You are so generous to us. Show us one person we can bless today. Amen.

Day 5: Eyes to See — Noticing God in the Everyday

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Psalm 19:1

For Parents

Creation is one of the most underused devotional tools we have, and it’s everywhere this summer. A thunderstorm. A sunrise hike. Fireflies at dusk. The impossible smallness of an ant carrying something three times its size.

God is not hidden. He’s on display. The trick is training our eyes to see Him.

This day is an invitation to slow down, step outside, and pay attention. Wonder is a spiritual practice. And kids are naturally gifted at it, we just have to protect the space for it.

Family Discussion Question

“Where’s one place you’ve seen something in nature that made you think, ‘Wow, God made that?'”

Activity for Kids

Take a “glory walk:” a 15-30 minute nature walk where everyone looks for evidence of God’s creativity. Collect interesting leaves, rocks, or flowers. At the end, lay them out and take turns saying, “God made this, and I think that’s amazing because ___.”

Pray Together

God, Your creation is stunning. Open our eyes to see You in the everyday. In the sky above us, in the ground beneath us, and in the people around us. We don’t want to miss it. Amen.

Day 6: When We Mess Up — The Gift of Forgiveness

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

For Parents

If your family has been together for more than about 48 hours this summer, someone has already done something that required forgiveness. That’s not a failure, that’s family.

The gospel gives us the most radical foundation for forgiveness: we forgive because we have been forgiven. Not because the other person deserves it. Not because it’s easy. Because Jesus went first.

Today is a great day to model this for your kids, and maybe even ask for forgiveness from them if you need to. Few things shape a child’s theology of grace more powerfully than watching a parent say, “I was wrong. I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?”

Family Discussion Question

“Is there anyone in our family (or outside it) that we need to forgive or ask forgiveness from?”

Activity for Kids

Try a “clean slate” activity. Give everyone a piece of paper and a crayon. Have them write or draw something they want to say sorry for or something they’re holding against someone else. Then tear up the paper together as a symbol of letting it go. Talk about how that’s what Jesus does with our sins (He removes them completely!).

Pray Together

Jesus, thank You for forgiving us completely and freely. Help us be quick to say sorry and quick to forgive. We don’t want to carry what You’ve already taken. Amen.

Day 7: Sent — Living on Mission This Summer

“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” John 20:21

For Parents

Here’s a question worth sitting with: What if this summer wasn’t just a break from life, but an opportunity to live it differently?

Jesus sends us the same way He was sent: with purpose, with love, and toward people. Your neighborhood, your cul-de-sac, your kids’ sports team, the grocery store you visit every week. These aren’t random locations. They’re your mission field.

And here’s the beautiful thing: your kids can be on mission too. At their age, the most powerful thing they can do is learn to notice people, ask good questions, and show genuine kindness. Those habits, built early, last a lifetime.

Family Discussion Question

“Who is one person near who we could intentionally show the love of Jesus to this summer?”

Activity for Kids

Make a “Summer Mission Map.” Draw a simple map of your neighborhood, your regular hangout spots, and places you’ll be this summer. Add the names of people you know in those spots. Pray over the map together and ask God to show your family one person to intentionally love and serve before summer ends.

Pray Together

God, You sent Jesus for us. Now You’re sending us for others. Give us eyes to see who needs Your love, courage to show up, and the words to say when we get there. Use our family this summer. Amen.

What’s Next? Keep the Momentum Going

Seven days is just the beginning. Here are a few simple ways to keep growing together as a family:

• Find a Life Group. Community makes faith stick. Find a group near you at Mission Hills.
• Join us on the weekend. If you haven’t visited in a while (or ever) we’d love to see you. Plan your visit here.
• Explore resources for your kids. We have Next Gen resources designed specifically for families.
• Keep talking. The most powerful thing you can do is keep the conversation going (in the car, at the dinner table, before bed). Faith is caught as much as it’s taught.

You don’t have to have it all figured out to lead your family well. You just have to show up, be honest, and keep pointing everyone, including yourself, back to Jesus.

That’s enough. He’s enough.

✏️  AUTHOR CREDITS

This blog was written by the Mission Hills Church Communication Team.