By Shari McMinn

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9a–13 KJV)

Thus ended each day of my childhood. “The Lord’s Prayer” recited at bedtime with one of my parents, has stuck with me for 60-some years. What started as a nightly ritual, became my default for life. Though I wandered away a bit from the Lord during my young adulthood, God called me to return to His loving care. I responded, knowing in my heart that He provided my daily bread, forgave my sins, protected me from temptation, and delivered me from evil as my King, forever. I am thankful my Christian parents provided me with an idyllic childhood, including a slow and steady routine. It built me into the resilient, Jesus follower I am today.

Are daily routines all that important? Yes, according to many scientific studies over the past 50 years, and highlighted in this excerpt from an online article on the importance of family routines: ​”Every family needs routines. They help to organize life and keep it from becoming too chaotic. Children do best when routines are regular, predictable, and consistent. One of a family’s greatest challenges is to establish comfortable, effective routines, which should achieve a happy compromise between the disorder and confusion that can occur without them and the rigidity and boredom that can come with too much structure and regimentation, where children are given no choice and little flexibility. As a parent, review the routines in your household to ensure that they accomplish what you want.”

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