House Rules

The 10 Commandments is probably one of the most widely recognized passages in the Old Testament. They have been posted in court houses, in churches, in homes, in schools, and many other places over the years. In Exodus chapters 19 and 20, God gave the Children of Israel a set of rules to follow. They were meant to help the people learn how to live and how to love God and love other people.

This week, I encourage you to read the passage with your child(ren). Talk about what each of the commandments means and why God gave each rule. Discuss ways we can still follow these rules today. You can even talk about what Jesus says are the greatest commandments, found in Matthew 22:36-40, which basically sums up the 10 commandments, to love God with our whole being and to love our neighbor as ourself.

You can also work on establishing some rules for your family. This is something that I have really been interested in doing in our home. Children long for boundaries and want to know what is expected of them. Having an list of established rules is a way to help them feel secure. There are lots of sample "house rules" lists on the web. Pinterest is a great resource for ideas. Google is another resource. Here is a list that I found on Pinterest that might be a helpful place to start:

In this house...
We do second chances
We do grace
We do real
We do mistakes
We do I'm sorry
We do loud really well
We do hugs
We do family
We do love

Here is another from Etsy:

Family Rules
Always tell the truth
Work hard
Keep your promises
Try new things
Don't whine
Laugh Out Loud
Always say I love you
Use kind words
Do your best
Be grateful
Be kind
Be proud of yourself
Say please and thank you
Remember you are loved

Here is another list from a local blogger, Sue Molitor, who recently spoke to my mom's group. Each of her family's rules has an accompanying scripture passage to go with it. I think this is a neat way to reinforce the importance of scripture in our homes and our lives. Just about any rule you want to include can be supported with a passage of scripture if that is the direction that you want to go.

Rule 1: Obey quickly and completely
"Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. Honor your father and mother." Ephesians 6:1-2

Rule 2: Honor each other
"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4:32

Rule 3: Be agreeable
"Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure children of God." Philippians 2:14-15

Rule 4: Work hard
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord." Colossians 3:23


Chances are you already have a number of rules, you just may not have taken the time to write them down. Over dinner, ask everyone in the family to suggest some rules that your family should live by, rules that will help keep everyone safe and help everyone to live in a way that is pleasing to God. Create a list together and seek to follow them in your home. If you are willing, share them here so that we can get ideas from one another. Your family may think of a great rule that the rest of us could use.