We've entered the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic amidst which various phenomena have made many people see the real situation of their families. Selfishness and indifference are magnified in them, as well as contribution and care.
Leo Tolstoy said, "Happy families are all alike". But is that true? They may be similar, but not the same. Christian families are striving to practice faith in their lives. All of them have gone through different paths with their own takeaways and reached a conclusion with great confidence that the ending will be a happy one.
Through interviews, we learned that families who had pursued faith did not give up their efforts under pressure. On the contrary, they worked hard to practice faith in their daily lives.
I
Xiaomai and his wife Xiaojuan are newlyweds based in Shanghai who are still figuring out how to live a life together. Staying at home under lockdown, they got to spend more time with each other every day and fought more frequently. Trivial things like how to put salt on scrambled eggs could be a good reason to start a fight. Xiaomai liked whisking salt in the liquid eggs, and then pouring it into the pot to fry. However, Xiaojuan preferred to add salt after frying. Later, they laughed at what had happened between themselves.
Unfortunately, daily devotionals followed the same pattern. They agreed to dedicate a time each day to get close to God together, and the two took turns hosting. With different church backgrounds, they inclined towards different hymn styles. The husband liked selected hymns in traditional, while the wife liked modern style. Furthermore, their hosting styles were nothing alike either. Xiaomai hoped to strictly follow the process, yet Xiaojuan liked to be more natural and smoother. As a result, their devotional practice was directly interrupted by such conflicts.
Fortunately, they both believed that doing the daily devotion together was very important, so they both prayed to God for a smoother practice. Xiaomai said: "The best way to change the other person is to pray for her. I have to come before God first. We both have our own cross, meanwhile, we also have to carry each other's cross." Xiaojuan said: "I saw myself very self-centered, disrespectful and unsubmissive to my husband. I repented to God in prayer."
Both of them were willing to pray before God. Gradually, they saw their own problems, understood each other better and wanted to change their own behavior. Xiaojuan was ready to follow her husband, to learn the selected hymns, obey him, and respect him. Xiaomai was also prepared to listen to his wife's sharing without urging her to end it in order to proceed on to the next part. "Overall, I feel our family has become more spiritual and more united," said Xiaojuan.
II
A female believer surnamed Luo and her Christian husband Xin have two sons. Luo believes family fellowship should strengthen family cohesion, establish the image and authority of the father and provide spiritual care to the children.
Luo feels most deeply about the relationship between a father and the children. Because Xin doesn't usually spend much time at home, he has even less time to be with their children. But during the family fellowship, Xin sometimes shares Bible verses. If a father often teaches the Bible at home, he will build up the authority of God’s word in the hearts of the children, rather than by yelling at them.
At the same time, when the whole family sits together and communicates, the parents listen to the children's thoughts, ideas, and encounters, which makes the children feel more secure. Without such occasions, children will not know how to talk to their parents when they are treated wrongly at school or have things they can't understand. "Even just a 10-minute conversation, simply asking how the children are doing at school, will make a big difference. Those 10 minutes is quality time," said Luo.
III
The Christian couple Qing and her husband Li also have two sons. Qing’s greatest takeaway about the family fellowship is that the interaction between parents and children is deepened, and there is more heart-to-heart communication. The love in the family flows not only from parents to children but also the other way around. Qing was moved when her sons expressed their love for her.
Qing was not in good health. During the family worship, if the younger son felt that his mother was not feeling well that day, he would take the initiative to pray for her. In Qing’s prayer for her sons, God also guided her to understand them better. Qing shared that once she prayed for her children's studies: "When I prayed, God not only led me to pray for their studies but also guided me to pray for their souls, so that they could enjoy studying and the learning process."
Qing and Li told the children about their own faith stories. The children liked listening to them very much. In the process of recounting these stories, the couple also recalled the grace of God, the confidence and love at the beginning. This helped their hearts regain strength.
IV
Zhang and her husband Li are both Christians living in Shanghai. Zhang engages in the prayer ministry of her church and Li serves in a Christian organization. The older one of their two children needs to take online lessons during the day, while the younger one needs them to be with him in turn. During the lockdown when the whole family could only stay at home, all kinds of dramas took place. But Zhang said: "With family fellowship, a tiring day became comforting after sharing God's word together. Sharing His word protected everyone's heart and washed away our sins of the day."
During the family fellowship, Zhang's family truly witnessed the changing power of God's word. One day, the children couldn’t calm down before sharing. Therefore, Li was a bit upset. Although he had already started reading the Bible, Li was obviously still in a bad mood. But as he was reading, Li seemed to light up more and more. Zhang said: “Even though the children didn’t say anything, I believed they saw God’s words would give people grace and change their hearts. No matter what difficulties they encounter in the future, I hope their experience at home can turn into strength which enables them to find peace in God’s word."
Being trapped at home due to the epidemic, Zhang and Li both focused on serving, which kept them very busy every day. Hence they did not pay much attention to the news related to COVID-19, so as not to become negative and pessimistic. Yet staying in the same house every day, they inevitably had some friction. Fortunately, God protected this family for its daily fellowship with Him. The husband and wife, as well as parents and children, would apologize to each other for their disharmony. Zhang commented: "For those who serve God, peace in the family is very important. When families are strong, they can serve with more strength."
Rev. Zhang hopes to pass on this habit to her children so that when they grow up, they can also have family fellowship in their own homes.
Closing Remarks
There are more beautiful stories happening in family worship. Ah Shuo discovered the good qualities of his wife thanks to family fellowship. The couple Zhen and his wife Fan prayed for each other in the beginning, then, for more and more other people. Seeing her son singing hymns, the female believer Mi forgave him for always getting frustrated over homework. The list of such beautiful stories goes on and on.
Certainly, they all mentioned that daily perseverance wasn’t easy. Behind every change was much hard work and sacrifice. But no matter what, they were walking on a hopeful path, knowing that regardless of what the process was, it would always be a happy ending.
- Translated by Shuya Wang
今年已经是新冠疫情爆发的第三个年头，疫情下出现的各种现象让不少人看清了自己家庭的真实状况，自私和冷漠被放大，付出和关心也被放大。
托尔斯泰说：“幸福的家庭都是相似的”。都是相似的吗？却有相似之处，但也不尽相同。几个基督徒家庭都在努力在家庭中实践信仰，他们知道结局一定是美好的，但每个家庭所走过的道路，其中滋味只有自己知道。（==此句当summary）
在采访与交流当中了解到，追求信仰的家庭并没有在压力之下放弃信仰追求，相反，他们努力在日常生活中践行信仰。
一
晓迈和晓娟结婚时间不长，还处在磨合期。两人住在上海，因为疫情封控在家，每天相处的变长，争吵的频率也越来越高。像炒鸡蛋怎么放盐这样的小事他们也能争吵起来。晓迈喜欢把盐放在蛋液里，然后倒进锅里炒，而晓娟喜欢炒好之后再放盐。过后他们自己都觉得好笑。
类似的事情也发生在一起灵修的时候。他们约定每天分别一块时间出来一起亲近神，两人轮流主持。因为两人的教会背景不一样，喜欢的赞美诗风格也不同。晓迈喜欢选本诗歌，晓娟喜欢现代诗歌。他们的主持风格也不同，晓迈希望严格按照流程进行，晓娟希望整体上自然流畅一些。因为这些不同，他们的灵修时间因为冲突直接中断了。
好在他们都非常重视每天一起的灵修时间，所以各自都在神面前为灵修能顺利进行祷告。晓迈说：“改变对方，最好的办法就是为对方祷告。我要先来到神面前。两个人都有自己的十字架，也要背负对方的十字架。”晓娟说：“我看到自己非常以自我为中心的一面，不尊重、顺服我的丈夫。在祷告中我向神悔改。”
两人都愿意到神面前祷告，渐渐地，他们都看到了自己的问题，更了解对方，也愿意为了对方改变自己。晓娟愿意跟着晓迈学习他选的选本诗歌，顺服他，尊重他。晓迈也愿意倾听晓娟的分享，不催促她结束好进行下一个流程。“整体感觉我们家属灵上变得更好，也更合一了，”晓娟说。
二
罗姐妹和新弟兄有两个儿子。罗姐妹对家庭团契最直观感受有三点：增强家庭凝聚力，帮助建立父亲的形像和权柄，以及孩子在属灵上得到了关照。
罗姐妹对父亲和孩子的关系感触最深。因为爸爸平常在家的时间不多，和孩子相处的时间就更少了。但家庭团契的时候，爸爸有时候会分享圣经经文。如果爸爸常常在家讲讲圣经，会在孩子的心中建立起从神的话语而来的权柄，不是用吼孩子建立起来的权柄。
同时全家一起交流的时候，孩子的心思、想法、遇到的事情会得到父母的关注，孩子更有安全感。若没有这样的时间，孩子在学校遇到委屈或者有想不通的事情也不懂和父母倾诉。“就算只是交流10分钟，简单问问孩子在学校过得怎样都很不一样，这10分钟是有质量的时间，”罗姐妹说。
三
清姐妹和李弟兄也有两个儿子，而清姐妹对家庭团契最大的感受是，父母和孩子的互动变深了，心与心的沟通也多了。家庭中的爱，不仅从父母流向孩子，也从孩子流向父母，儿子表达的对妈妈的爱让清姐妹感动不已。
清姐妹身体不太好。家庭团契的时间，小儿子如果感受到妈妈今天身体不舒服，就会主动提出来要给妈妈祷告。清姐妹也在给儿子祷告的过程中，神引导她对儿子有了更深地认识。清姐妹说起一次为了孩子的学习祷告，“祷告的时候，神不仅带领我为孩子的学习祷告，更引导我为他的灵魂祷告，为他能喜欢学习、享受学习的过程祷告。”
清姐妹和李弟兄也和孩子们讲述他们自己的信仰故事，孩子们很喜欢听，他们也在讲的过程中回想起神的恩典，起初的信心和爱心，心里变得更有力量。
四
张姊妹和李弟兄住在上海，张姊妹在教会做祷告侍奉，李弟兄在一家主内机构服侍。他们有两个孩子，大孩子白天要上网课，小的孩子就需要他们轮流陪着。全家人都只能待在家里的这段时间，少不了各种鸡飞狗跳的场景。但张姊妹说：“因为有家庭团契，不管一天多累，一起分享神的话语，所有疲累都消散了。分享话语保护了每个人的心，洗净了一天的罪。”
在家庭团契中，张姊妹家庭真实见证了神话语改变的能力。有一天要开始分享话语了，但孩子们特别闹，李弟兄脸色就很难看。虽然已经开始读经了，李弟兄明显还带着情绪。但在读经的过程中，李弟兄整个人变得越来越明亮。张姊妹说：“孩子们虽然没说什么，我相信他们看到了神的话语会给人恩典，改变人的心。希望在家庭中的经历能成为他们力量，以后不论遇到什么困难，都能从神的话语中得到平安。”
他们虽然因为疫情被困家中，但张姊妹和李弟兄都专注在侍奉上，每天非常忙，没有过多关注疫情相关的消息，不至于陷入消极悲观的情绪中。但天天同处一室，难免会有摩擦。因为每天的团契时间，神保守这个家庭。夫妻之间会互相道歉，父母和孩子之间也会互相道歉。张姊妹说：“对侍奉神的人来说，家庭平安非常重要。家庭有力量，他们也能更有力量的侍奉。”
张牧师希望把这样的习惯传递给孩子，孩子长大之后，也可以在自己的家中进行家庭团契。
结语
阿硕因为家庭团契发现妻子阿光的优点。振弟兄和范姐妹从为彼此代祷开始，越来越多人出现在他们的祷告中。米妈妈看着儿子唱赞美诗的样子“原谅”了他总是因为写作业闹情绪。这些美丽的故事不胜枚举。
诚然，他们都提到，每天坚持并不容易，每个改变背后都有很多努力和牺牲。但不论如何，他们走在有盼望的道路上，知道不论过程如何，结局一定美好。
信仰的家庭实践：一起建造避风港
We've entered the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic amidst which various phenomena have made many people see the real situation of their families. Selfishness and indifference are magnified in them, as well as contribution and care.
Leo Tolstoy said, "Happy families are all alike". But is that true? They may be similar, but not the same. Christian families are striving to practice faith in their lives. All of them have gone through different paths with their own takeaways and reached a conclusion with great confidence that the ending will be a happy one.
Through interviews, we learned that families who had pursued faith did not give up their efforts under pressure. On the contrary, they worked hard to practice faith in their daily lives.
I
Xiaomai and his wife Xiaojuan are newlyweds based in Shanghai who are still figuring out how to live a life together. Staying at home under lockdown, they got to spend more time with each other every day and fought more frequently. Trivial things like how to put salt on scrambled eggs could be a good reason to start a fight. Xiaomai liked whisking salt in the liquid eggs, and then pouring it into the pot to fry. However, Xiaojuan preferred to add salt after frying. Later, they laughed at what had happened between themselves.
Unfortunately, daily devotionals followed the same pattern. They agreed to dedicate a time each day to get close to God together, and the two took turns hosting. With different church backgrounds, they inclined towards different hymn styles. The husband liked selected hymns in traditional, while the wife liked modern style. Furthermore, their hosting styles were nothing alike either. Xiaomai hoped to strictly follow the process, yet Xiaojuan liked to be more natural and smoother. As a result, their devotional practice was directly interrupted by such conflicts.
Fortunately, they both believed that doing the daily devotion together was very important, so they both prayed to God for a smoother practice. Xiaomai said: "The best way to change the other person is to pray for her. I have to come before God first. We both have our own cross, meanwhile, we also have to carry each other's cross." Xiaojuan said: "I saw myself very self-centered, disrespectful and unsubmissive to my husband. I repented to God in prayer."
Both of them were willing to pray before God. Gradually, they saw their own problems, understood each other better and wanted to change their own behavior. Xiaojuan was ready to follow her husband, to learn the selected hymns, obey him, and respect him. Xiaomai was also prepared to listen to his wife's sharing without urging her to end it in order to proceed on to the next part. "Overall, I feel our family has become more spiritual and more united," said Xiaojuan.
II
A female believer surnamed Luo and her Christian husband Xin have two sons. Luo believes family fellowship should strengthen family cohesion, establish the image and authority of the father and provide spiritual care to the children.
Luo feels most deeply about the relationship between a father and the children. Because Xin doesn't usually spend much time at home, he has even less time to be with their children. But during the family fellowship, Xin sometimes shares Bible verses. If a father often teaches the Bible at home, he will build up the authority of God’s word in the hearts of the children, rather than by yelling at them.
At the same time, when the whole family sits together and communicates, the parents listen to the children's thoughts, ideas, and encounters, which makes the children feel more secure. Without such occasions, children will not know how to talk to their parents when they are treated wrongly at school or have things they can't understand. "Even just a 10-minute conversation, simply asking how the children are doing at school, will make a big difference. Those 10 minutes is quality time," said Luo.
III
The Christian couple Qing and her husband Li also have two sons. Qing’s greatest takeaway about the family fellowship is that the interaction between parents and children is deepened, and there is more heart-to-heart communication. The love in the family flows not only from parents to children but also the other way around. Qing was moved when her sons expressed their love for her.
Qing was not in good health. During the family worship, if the younger son felt that his mother was not feeling well that day, he would take the initiative to pray for her. In Qing’s prayer for her sons, God also guided her to understand them better. Qing shared that once she prayed for her children's studies: "When I prayed, God not only led me to pray for their studies but also guided me to pray for their souls, so that they could enjoy studying and the learning process."
Qing and Li told the children about their own faith stories. The children liked listening to them very much. In the process of recounting these stories, the couple also recalled the grace of God, the confidence and love at the beginning. This helped their hearts regain strength.
IV
Zhang and her husband Li are both Christians living in Shanghai. Zhang engages in the prayer ministry of her church and Li serves in a Christian organization. The older one of their two children needs to take online lessons during the day, while the younger one needs them to be with him in turn. During the lockdown when the whole family could only stay at home, all kinds of dramas took place. But Zhang said: "With family fellowship, a tiring day became comforting after sharing God's word together. Sharing His word protected everyone's heart and washed away our sins of the day."
During the family fellowship, Zhang's family truly witnessed the changing power of God's word. One day, the children couldn’t calm down before sharing. Therefore, Li was a bit upset. Although he had already started reading the Bible, Li was obviously still in a bad mood. But as he was reading, Li seemed to light up more and more. Zhang said: “Even though the children didn’t say anything, I believed they saw God’s words would give people grace and change their hearts. No matter what difficulties they encounter in the future, I hope their experience at home can turn into strength which enables them to find peace in God’s word."
Being trapped at home due to the epidemic, Zhang and Li both focused on serving, which kept them very busy every day. Hence they did not pay much attention to the news related to COVID-19, so as not to become negative and pessimistic. Yet staying in the same house every day, they inevitably had some friction. Fortunately, God protected this family for its daily fellowship with Him. The husband and wife, as well as parents and children, would apologize to each other for their disharmony. Zhang commented: "For those who serve God, peace in the family is very important. When families are strong, they can serve with more strength."
Rev. Zhang hopes to pass on this habit to her children so that when they grow up, they can also have family fellowship in their own homes.
Closing Remarks
There are more beautiful stories happening in family worship. Ah Shuo discovered the good qualities of his wife thanks to family fellowship. The couple Zhen and his wife Fan prayed for each other in the beginning, then, for more and more other people. Seeing her son singing hymns, the female believer Mi forgave him for always getting frustrated over homework. The list of such beautiful stories goes on and on.
Certainly, they all mentioned that daily perseverance wasn’t easy. Behind every change was much hard work and sacrifice. But no matter what, they were walking on a hopeful path, knowing that regardless of what the process was, it would always be a happy ending.
- Translated by Shuya Wang
Family Worship Arises Under COVID-19 Lockdown
