An introduction to living a slow Christian lifestyle amidst a secular world. Allow Scripture to lead your family, and shape how you live your life. Learn how our family lives both a Christian life and a slow life.
The Art of Slow Christian Living
By: Kelsey Westman
Within the walls of our home, little feet are running, dishes are clanging, voices are overlapping, fresh air is blowing through open windows, but most importantly, hearts are fed.
This is no ordinary feeding. This feeding caters the physical, mental, emotion, and spiritual well-being of our family. This feeding is the love our Lord, Jesus Christ, pours out on us each and every day. An eternal, everlasting love that directly pierces the soul, moves the heart, and fills the mind. A love that is passed along within our home.
Home isn’t a physical structure, walls crafted into shapes. A home is made up of bodies that desire to love and be loved. A community that supports, listens, and cares with deep affection. People who you call family, who you call friends. A household encompassed by love, created by Him, intended to conform to the living a life like Jesus.
Within the walls of our home, we pray to be conformed. We pray for Jesus to give us a heart like His, to see how He sees, and to love as He loves. We turn to Scripture, studying His commands, not just reading the Word but acting upon It. Allowing our home to truly be transformed daily by the Word of God.
Each day, within our home, we embrace slow living. We embrace the opportunity given by God to create a more meaningful, conscious, and God honoring day. A day filled with Scripture, prayer, mercy, forgiveness, laughter, memories, time together, deep reflection, and love.
Within this lifestyle, one will find true appreciation, unending gratefulness, and joyous peace. When there is obedience to God, there is peace. Peace is the summary of living such a way. What you have, where you live, and what you earn doesn’t matter here. To live a slow Christian life is precisely the opposite of gain, it’s surrender.
“It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
When embracing slow Christian living, one is embracing the truth that we no longer are to live for ourselves, rather live for God. Our life no longer belongs to us, but belongs to Him. For we are to accomplish the will in which He has set for us.
To live a slow Christian life is to die to the busyness, die to the temptations of the world, and die to oneself. And to die to the world and die to the self, is to live in Christ.
“For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.” Philippians 1:21
HOW OUR FAMILY LIVES CHRISTIAN LIVES
“Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-16
We are sinners, fallen people, who are disobedient to God. Our goal is to live a life mimicking Christ’s life the best we can. Our goal individually and as a family is to live holy lives. Although we fail at times, we try to DO:
- At least 30 minutes of Bible time a day.
- Bible time as a couple, studying through each book in the Bible.
- Bible time / religion time in our homeschool schedule.
- Pray throughout the day, as a family and individually.
- Surround ourselves and create a God honoring atmosphere (household).
- This is done by avoiding any and all media that is inappropriate and is NOT God (videos, songs, tv, social media, news, etc.) and listening to worship music, sermons, or clean messaged content (not faith related).
In order to try to live holy lives, we try to avoid sin or anything that could lead us into sin. Again, we are not perfect, and we fail. Through a lot of effort and self control we do NOT:
- Watch or expose ourselves to any movie(s) / tv shows with nudity or partial nudity. There are no exceptions.
- Allow free screen time or tablets. Movie / tv time for our kids is once (sometimes twice) a week for 1.5 hours watching a DVD they chose at the library.
- We monitor and limit what our children can watch. If it contains anything inappropriate, or does not align with the Bible (gay relationships, transgender, nonbinary, etc.) it’s a NO. There are no exceptions.
- Use any inappropriate or foul language, ever.
- Speak ungodly chatter and gossip.
- Ever spend time with the opposite sex alone.
HOW OUR FAMILY LIVES SLOW LIVES
“…aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we directed you, so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and be dependent on no one.” 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
- We strive for a more “natural way” and “traditional way” of living:
- Again, not a requirement for “slow living”, but as a family, we value trying to live away from consumerism, politics, and marketing. We don’t put our trust in the government and everything we are being “sold” (lies and products).
- We value an organic, more natural approach, but still recognize and utilize modern medicine and the advances God has given us.
- We believe women should (if possible) stay home with the children, submit to her husband, and that children should not (if possible) go to daycare. This has been a more recent conviction for us as of the past 3 years.
- Homeschooling:
- We want to spend time together as a family, being with our children all day. We want to grow their education in the most God honoring and fruitful way we can.
- Embracing the ability / opportunity to be “self sufficient”:
- Although this is not a requirement by any means to live a “slow” life, this is one way we personally do it. We are taking the opportunity to embrace the gifts of fruits, vegetables, and animals that God has given us. Using our time and money to raise food, and find the beauty in the process.
- Explore:
- Taking our children with us, we explore (to an extent) the beautiful world God has given us. We like to travel to State Parks, lakes, take walks, and just stop to enjoy the views God has blessed us with, and give praise and thanks!
- We say NO:
- We no longer say “yes” to every commitment, event, extra curricular, group, or request of us. We do not consume our days and weeks with busyness and activities. We are choosing to not be involved in too much, and spend time together as a family and with God.
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