Gather the family in the family room and have the children read 2 Timothy 2:1-7. The more you allow them to participate in things like reading the more engaged they will be in the lesson.
On a piece of paper or whiteboard write out the different attributes of the soldier, athlete, and farmer. What types of character or skill sets does each of them require? What makes them unique?
Think about how tired the solider must get at times, or how the athlete does what it takes regardless of how they feel, or how the farmer laborers hard not knowing if the sun or rain will appear.
Read verse 7 and spend some time responding.
Think over these three illustrations, and may the Lord help you to understand how they apply to you.