We sat at the dinner table the other day; gathered around were the all the children and grandchildren. Young “olive shoots,” as Psalm 128:3 calls them. There are now ten of us; nine are here and one of us sits at our Father’s table in heaven.

It took a short while to collect all of us, and a few more attempts to hush everyone for the blessing, but after a few moments, we all held hands and lowered our heads to pray.

It is at times like this that I love to peek at Rylie, Stella, and Lucy, for even with their eyes squinted shut, they often sneak food into their mouths. I guess they are just tasting to see how thankful they ought to be!

Nevertheless, it was right there in the chaos of the moment; we found it still possible to bow our heads (one eye on the two year old, of course) and give thanks to God for all the good things He has given. Thank You God for each member of the family, a warm dinner, and mainly for You—our gracious God who loves us.

At times it may seem hopeless trying to train little ones to reverence God in a prayer that lasts all of 30 seconds. Frequently, it is a noisy and messy affair. In our situation, with a five year old, four year old, two year old, and three month old, this should not come as a surprise! Often, we must overlook this and navigate our prayer through the tears of one or another, the spilled food, or loud cries of a hungry infant.

We may be tempted to wonder if they heard a word that was said. But I know from experience (and time has proved this with both our sons, Christopher and Jonathan) that it is with consistency and patience that a child’s heart is formed and impressed by countless, small prayers and Bible lessons.

We are a typical family. We try to teach our children and grandchildren the importance of everyday prayers and Bible reading. And when I have faced discouragement in this area, I remind myself that I must take a long-range view of the impact that these simple, frequent, regular disciplines will make.

The other day, I heard one of our little ones pray, over her plate of roast chicken and rice, “Dear God, thank You for all the things that You know, and all the things that we don’t know.” She is in the process—as we all are—of learning to trust the Lord, even though she doesn’t understand. Good theology, for a four year old.

So don’t grow weary in this endeavor. Our mealtime prayers, short Bible stories, and simple gospel songs are forming and shaping their little minds.

Bit by bit, word upon word, story upon story, the ground is watered and the soil is tilled in the expectation those little olive shoots that wiggle or fuss around our table will one day grow to be mature fruitful trees—the planting of the Lord.

So, whether you are sitting in your house, walking along the road, lying down or getting up, use every moment to encourage your family to follow and trust the Lord. They are your responsibility and your mission field.