10 Days of Awe: Simple Ideas for Your Jesus-Following Family
If you’re a Jesus-follower observing Yom Teruah / the Feast of Trumpets and Yom Kippur / Day of Atonement, you may have noticed something interesting when you read Leviticus 23:
Yom Teruah falls on the first day of the seventh month, while Yom Kippur falls on the tenth day.
That means there are ten days between these two appointed times.
You may have heard these days called the “10 Days of Awe.”
But here’s an important distinction:
“10 Days of Awe” is not a biblical name or command.
It’s a later Jewish/traditional designation for this period, often associated with repentance, self-examination, and returning to God.
The Bible doesn’t give us a specific ten-day program we’re commanded to complete.
But I love the idea of using these days as an intentional family rhythm—a time to slow down, study Scripture, pray, examine our hearts, and prepare for Yom Kippur.
And it doesn’t have to be complicated.
Here are some ideas for how your family can make the 10 Days of Awe meaningful in your home as you follow Jesus.
📖 1. Study the Ten Commandments
One simple idea is to spend one day on each of the Ten Commandments.
Read the commandment.
Talk about what it teaches us about God’s character.
Ask:
What does obedience look like?
What does this teach me about God?
Is there anything in my life that needs to change?
With kids:
You could make this really fun and memorable by learning hand motions for the Ten Commandments and practicing one each day.
The goal isn’t to overwhelm them with a theology lesson.
It’s simply to help God’s Word become familiar.
🍇 2. Study the Fruit of the Spirit
Another option is to spend the ten days studying Galatians 5:22–23.
You could focus on one fruit each day:
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-control
Then use the tenth day to review and reflect.
Ask:
Where is God growing this fruit in me?
Where do I need to surrender and grow?
With kids, you could draw pictures, memorize the passage, or talk about what each fruit looks like in everyday life.
🙏 3. Create a Daily Prayer Rhythm
These ten days can also be an opportunity to intentionally increase your prayer time.
It doesn’t have to be elaborate.
You could pray:
Morning: “Search me, O God, and know my heart…” — Psalm 139:23–24
Midday: Pause and thank God for something.
Evening:
Ask:
What am I thankful for today?
Where did I fall short?
Is there someone I need to forgive?
Is there someone I need to apologize to?
What is God teaching me?
With kids, even a 5-minute family prayer can be meaningful.
❤️ 4. Practice Repentance
Repentance isn’t just feeling bad about something.
It’s turning around and returning to God.
Use these days to think honestly about areas where you may need to make a change.
Some Scriptures to study:
Psalm 51
Proverbs 28:13
Isaiah 55:6–7
Ezekiel 18:30–32
Matthew 3:1–8
Luke 15:11–32
Acts 3:19
1 John 1:9
And remember: repentance can sometimes mean making something right with another person, too.
Maybe there’s an apology you’ve been putting off.
Maybe there’s forgiveness you’ve been resisting.
Maybe there’s a relationship where you need to take the first step toward peace.
🤍 5. Intentionally Bless Someone
Make one small act of kindness each day.
You could:
encourage a friend
send someone a Scripture
pray for someone
make something for a neighbor
help someone who needs it
forgive someone
write a thank-you note
serve someone in your family
It doesn’t have to be impressive.
Sometimes the smallest acts of love are the ones our kids remember.
📵 6. Fast From a Distraction
If you’re looking for another way to make these days intentional, consider setting aside something that regularly distracts you.
Maybe it’s:
social media
television
unnecessary screen time
video games
mindless scrolling
shopping
another particular comfort
You could choose one thing for all ten days or choose something different each day.
The point isn’t to create another religious rule.
It’s simply to ask:
“What could I set aside so I have more room for God?”
👨👩👧👦 7. Ask One Meaningful Question Each Day
This might be my favorite idea for families with young children.
At dinner or during your normal family rhythm, ask one question:
What did you learn about God today?
What are you thankful for?
What does obedience look like?
What does repentance mean?
Is there something you need to make right?
What does it mean to forgive someone?
What is one way you saw God working today?
You don’t need a 45-minute family Bible study.
Sometimes one good question opens a much bigger conversation.
A Simple 10-Day Plan for the Days of Awe
If you want something already laid out, here’s one way you could do it:
Day 1: Commandment #1
Day 2: Commandment #2
Day 3: Commandment #3
Day 4: Commandment #4
Day 5: Commandment #5
Day 6: Commandment #6
Day 7: Commandment #7
Day 8: Commandment #8
Day 9: Commandment #9
Day 10: Commandment #10
Or:
Days 1–9: Fruit of the Spirit
Day 10: Reflection + prayer
Or don’t follow a plan at all.
Pick what your family needs.
One Important Reminder
I think it’s really important to distinguish between what Scripture commands and what we’re choosing as a family tradition.
The Bible does not command Christians to complete a ten-day challenge between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur.
So don’t turn these ideas into another burden.
You don’t have to do all ten.
You don’t have to do any of them.
And you don’t need to make this look like anyone else’s family.
We’re simply using the days between these two appointed times as an opportunity to slow down, seek God, study His Word, and prepare our hearts.
Because ultimately, this isn’t about completing a checklist.
It’s about knowing Him.
📖 Want to Study the Feasts for Yourself?
After Yom Teruah-Feast of Trumpets comes Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement, on the tenth day of the seventh month.
If you’re ready to start studying what Scripture says about these two feasts and what they mean in light of Jesus our Messiah and High Priest, grab my free study guides:
And if you’re looking for practical ideas for celebrating the biblical feasts with children, I’ve also put together:
📚 Biblical Feast Resources We Love
Bible Pathway Adventures Activity Books
This is a great option for younger children because it turns Bible learning into an actual adventure/activity rather than just asking kids to sit still while Mom teaches.
Gather ’Round Homeschool
Whether you're a homeschool family or not, this can also be a great way to incorporate Bible study into your family learning.
Read Fall Feast Books Together
Books are one of my favorite ways to introduce big biblical concepts to little kids.
Look for books about:
Yom Kippur
The Day of Atonement
The biblical feasts
God’s appointed times
The Hebrew calendar
Sukkot and the Fall Feasts
You don’t have to read ten books.
Pick one or two and read them together.
I’ve put together a list of some of our favorite Fall Feast books and resources here:
Shofars / Ram's Horns
🎺 Want to use a real shofar? If you’d like to incorporate an actual shofar into your celebration, you can find reasonably priced ones online. (TIP: The bigger/longer, the better the sound will be! I learned from experience and bought a tiny one- ha!)
The goal isn’t perfection.
It’s simply to stop long enough to remember:
God is holy.
His Word matters.
Repentance is good.
His mercy is beautiful.
And Jesus is our hope. 🤍
10 Days of Awe Jesus
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