Vacation is something that we, students, look forward to after a long academic year. Some of us are already on vacation and are about to go back to school. Others have a different school calendar, which means that vacation is just around the corner. As we head back to our hometowns for the vacation, another thing that probably excites most of us is the fact that we get to spend time with our families.

We don’t always get to make the most out of our time with them, and we sometimes tend to take for granted the time we have with them. Since we’re called to be a blessing to them, the school break gives us many opportunities to be exactly that. While it is important for us to find ways to rest and get refreshed, it’s also important that we intentionally grow our relationships with our families.

Here are a few practical things we can consider to be a blessing at home and build a relationship with our families. Some of these may require going the extra mile, but it’ll surely be worth it.

1. Share a meal with your family or, better yet, cook for them!

“Shared food, shared lives” sounds like a great mantra. Any meal is made better when shared with the ones we love. It doesn’t always have to be grand; even the simplest meals could bring the whole family together. If you come from a family that doesn’t value eating together so much, maybe going the extra mile by personally preparing the meals for them would be a great excuse to eat together. Each family member would surely appreciate a meal that you poured your heart and effort into.

This could be an opportunity to even initiate prayer. I know of someone who took the opportunity to pray for his family before a meal. What was supposed to be a simple prayer before a meal turned into a prayer for his mom and their whole family. Rarely being able to pray together as a family, he knew that his simple prayer made a significant impact to his family.

2. Serve them by taking the time to clean the house.

Cleaning might not be top-of-mind when we think of vacation, but it’s certainly a great way to serve your family during the break. Vacation gives us so much time for that. A clean home makes so much of a difference and could brighten the family’s mood at any day.

I remember getting to do this for a whole day over last year’s break. To my surprise, it really did lighten up my mother’s mood and it unburdened her from the mess at home. Not only do we get ourselves a clean home, but we also get to be a blessing to our families by doing so. Yet another win-win!

3. Have movie nights with them.

Whether movie night with the family means staying at home for Netflix or heading out to the cinema, a good movie is something the family would agree to. If you choose to stay at home, you could even serve them by preparing to make the best movie night experience for the family.

With the daily grind and fast-paced schedules, it’s not every day that we get to spend a good hour or two to simply enjoy a good movie with them.

4. Travel together or have a staycation.

This vacation is the perfect time for the family to invest in rest. God surely rewards those He loves with rest, and our families are recipients of that. You may opt to travel together or stay in the comfort of your own home. Either way, encourage one another to rest.

What matters most is that you get to spend time together and enjoy each other’s company. You may even take this time to share your faith to them, the ultimate blessing your family could ever receive and experience.

The list could go on, and you might even come up with more fun and practical ways to build relationships at home this vacation.

We can most certainly be a blessing to our families because we have been so blessed by God. Because of Him, we can be a blessing to the ones we love at home, not just during vacation, but for the rest of our lives.

Photo Credits: Mike Scheid