Every morning on the way to school, I pray with my kids. They expect it, and they remind me if I am in one of those haphazard can’t see straight moments- because it means something to them. You should hear the urgency in my son’s voice if we haven’t yet started our prayer halfway down the road. I love that. Oh, how I love that.
We have been praying together before school every morning for years. I can’t quite remember when it became our “tradition”, but I know that we haven’t missed a morning for a long, long time. Did I tell you how much I love that? Oh, how I do.
It centers us.
It brings immediate peace.
It nourishes our hearts.
It fuels our day.
It frames our thoughts.
It focuses our perspective.
It renews our spirit.
It fills our souls.
With Him.
I often find myself repeating many things every morning, with the same emotion and passion as the very first time I prayed those words. They are new every day to me, much like His Blessings and His Grace. I seem to cover a multitude of areas in this Morning Prayer, and yet it never feels overwhelming. I can sense my children drawing near to Him as my words are spoken and the car is full of His Presence. They expect to breath in His Grace and pour out their gratitude. We offer up our concerns and lift up those in need. We realize our potential and value our purpose in His Will. And most graciously, we ask Him to shine His Almighty Light through us, in us, on us, and always before us in leading us where we should go.
There is truly nothing more significant and more critical to my Motherhood Mission than these moments of prayer every morning in the car. What could possibly be more important?
Oh, how this time in prayer is…
Precious. Personal. Powerful.
As we reach out to Our Creator of Heaven and Earth.
How I cherish knowing that He loves us just as we are. A mom and her two kids offering up their blessings and their gratitude. Praying for their teachers and their friends. Asking Him to guide them and use them in His Plan. Giving our hearts and our minds over to Him in surrendering to the One who knows us best. Trusting that His Will is so much better than ours.
And we rejoice in another day we belong to Him.
When do you pray with your kids? If you don’t, then perhaps these ten minutes of our day will inspire you to find ten minutes of yours.
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Chris, you struck gold again! Your words are shimmering in the sunlight! How can something so simple be so connecting and powerful in the lives between a parent, her children and their Creator? We pray each morning on the way to school as well, and though it’s less about having a “great day” (as the not-so-great can take place more often than not!), it’s about anchoring into the One who is sovereign and in control over their circumstances throughout the day–no matter where that day takes them, and teaching them that God is always available. (And yes, praying for all aspects of their day and those in it before it gets rolling, key!) The day may not necessarily go better, but WE go better in the day…..b/c of our humanness, we are not in control, but there is One who is and to model that submission and dependence to our children together only gives them the most powerful, secure benefit and gift they can experience as they grow and live out their lives. Beautiful post….love having you here my friend!!
Oh I am truly so honored to be here, Linda!!! I just love your comment, my friend. It encapsulates it all so beautifully!!! XO
This is a good lesson here Chris. My goal this year is to make my kids think about doing something kind every day…even something very little can make a difference. My friend told me the other day something that made a strong impression on me, although I don’t remember the incident at all. Back when we first became friends, apparently she hurt her arm badly and was having a hard time. She said I came and picked up her kids and she remembers being grateful to this day. As I said, I don’t remember this at all, but that just goes to show you that something very small that you think nothing of can make a big difference to someone else.
I love that story Michelle!!! Just LOVE it!! It’s amazing how powerful just a simple act can be for someone else…
That is very important to remember as we go through out days. We never know how much of an impact we will have on the people we serve.
Something kind every day is a fantastic goal!!!
I don’t regularly pray with my kids now, though I did for years. We were a home schooling family and devotional and prayer was how we started our day. It was good stuff. Although I don’t pray WITH our kids (much) now, I do pray for them always.
Good post and again, Happy Birthday. You look go-od. 🙂
AW you are so sweet Laurie!! Thanks so much for your kind well wishes!!!
I just love that you prayed with your kids every day when you home schooled them!! I bet is surely set the tone for your home on a daily basis.
I love everything you described that prayer does for you. We don’t pray in my family, at least not together. The kids are very young and I admit we’re a bit confused about how to raise them as they are both Christian and Jewish. Ultimately we want them to believe in something, and I believe that the power of prayer can be found in all religions and spiritual followings.
Oh Tamara, the power of prayer is true and available to us all. I am sure that would be so hard to figure out how to juggle the two religions in your home, but I am sure that prayer can be a beautiful part of it all!
It is an incredibly worthwhile and unifying time, and I do hope you can discover a way to pray together that honors both religions. 🙂
Hey Tamara,
I have to step in and agree with Chris on her reply….no matter your religion, prayer IS available to us all and that’s because God is available to us all. I am a Jewish Believer (messianic, meaning Jewish yet believe that Yeshua is the Messiah which I know is pretty upsetting to most Jewish people) but I understand the wall that sadly divides the two cultures. If you ever want to talk or write, you know where I am… anytime!
I just LOVE that you shared that VALUABLE information and precious insight Linda!!! What a blessing that Tamara found a beautiful resource and helping friend with your common ground!
Oh, how I love when that happens! These connections can be so valuable!!! 🙂
What a wonderful way to start the day. Good for you mom, anchoring them in that….may they be inspired to continue that in their lives long after they leave the nest. As they drive themselves to work some day or college classes, I can so picture them ‘talking’ with God as the day starts. xoxox
Oh how I hope and pray they have prayer imbedded in their hearts for life, Candice!!! What could be more important? XO
Candice, love your thought on that, too. I think of: “Train a child in the way he should go and when is old he will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6 Our kids are going to be older one day with lives of their own. How awesome to give them the security and practice that they can use in their own lives as adults and as parents themselves….now that’s an eternal gift!
Thanks for this Chris, beautiful! We pray everyday before we leave for the day. Whoever is leaving first calls to everyone else and we just pray right near the front door. We each take turns. Morning prayers can be a bit rushed though as someone is usually late:)) Nighttime, we all kneel down around our bed when the first person is going to bed. We have a saying which we call out “last one on your knees, prayers please” – so everyone is usually racing to get there. I love hearing the different prayers we all say. It’s truly a window into someone’s soul. I can often find out what is on a child’s mind, what fears they have (our youngest, when it’s his turn, prays that the house won’t catch on fire), what they are nervous about, what they are grateful for. My husband and I pray as a couple before bed too every night – and it also is a great way of communicating with each other our deepest thoughts. Love the power of prayer!
OH Leah that is just amazing!!! Oh, how I can learn from your prayer life with your family!!! I can picture that precious rushed morning prayer in hopes to grab a bit of God together before you run off to start your day! Oh, how I love that image!! And your children on their knees by the bed, as you all share your innermost feelings and concerns. I especially love your prayers with your hubs before bed. Oh, how I adore that!!
Thank you for sharing it all. I am so blessed because you did!
I love how precious that time spent in prayer with your children is to you and to them Chris. I am sure I don’t have to tell you how precious it is to God as well that not only do you come to Him in this manner, but that you are truly raising you children up in the way that they should go. My children do not go to public school, I homeschool them, and I love that I get to pray with them at all times. We pray in the car on the way to the store, before breakfast, lunch, dinner, before bed and quite often just because throughout the day. It is amazing and so humbling to watch God work through my children in the way that He does. It is so amazing and humbling to watch His plans for my children manifest in such a blessedly tangible way. Attributes that I prayed for in them are coming forth, and who He has revealed to me that they will be is beginning to take form. Amazing grace. My second daughter who is 6 (almost 7) accepted Christ a few months ago and the change in her spirit was almost instantaneous. Even at the tender age that she is, she is destined for leadership. She began a prayer group for our children, she leads prayers at meals, prays over everything. It blows my mind. Her prayers have the depth of someone far older and more mature in their faith. We have literally wept during her prayers, she is so full of compassion and love. God desires to bless our lives and the lives of our children, and when we pray specifics for our children’s spiritual growth and richness, He hears and He answers. The result? A generation of believers far stronger and more confident in their faith than the world has ever experienced. That is the generation being raised up now and it is an incredible time to behold. As mamas we must stand in the gap for our children, never putting down that sword, never allowing the devil a foothold. The enemy waits for those children who are left unprotected spiritually by their parents, and it is an awful thing to see. Children, whose parents are believers, left to flounder. To find their own way in this twisted perverse world. I would even go so far as to say that we must stand in the gap for the children that we know are not being led as they ought to be, I have found myself fervently praying for those children in the Spirit. Prayer is the single most powerful tool we have as Believers in effecting change not only in our live, the lives of our families, but also the lives of those around us. <3
Oh Michelle!! How I love love love your comment!!! I am THRILLED to hear about your amazing spirit-filled daughter!! I love that you thread prayer through out your day, as we do that too!! I truly live in one long (interrupted) conversation with God. I have a feeling you do as well!
We pray for those children, especially- who don’t know the Lord. Oh how I pray every single day that God shine His Light through my kids and through our family, so that the many many hearts can learn of Him.
This world is a clear and present danger zone. It is a landscape of landmines set by Satan everywhere. Oh, my heart aches at the thought of the children who step on them and don’t have the Lord’s Hand to hold.
As a matter of fact, I do live that way.. 🙂 I have a page on Facebook, that I write on as often as I can, called Keeping The Line Open. And it is based on that exact lifestyle that you and I live; of living one long (interrupted..lol) conversation with God. Keeping that line of communication open and available at all times, to hear Him and to be heard by Him. His promises in His word never fail, never return void. I love that you pray for those children too, with the tenderness of a mothers love. We are their spiritual mamas, covering them where they are naked and exposed to the devil and his plans for destruction. As long as I live, as I have breath to speak I will pray on the behalf of those who cannot for themselves, and it is generational pattern I am seeing emerge in my children as well.
YES! We must carry this through the next generation! Thank you for sharing that one word that lit up my heart. I need to truly teach my kids how to focus on that precious and growing burden in this world. Oh, how I fear it will get much worse… well, I think we KNOW it will!
I love your response Michelle. I love your passionate and faithful heart! I am going to go find that facebook page!!! 🙂
Okay- so I thought clicking on your name would magically take me somewhere that would possibly take me to your Facebook page! Ha! If you come back around, please share it, if you are able and willing! 🙂
Oh, I just LOVE making new friends! XO!
LOL Sorry Chris.. 😉 I just love making new friends too, and you already bring joy to my heart.. 🙂 Here is the link to my page on Facebook…
https://www.facebook.com/KeepingTheLineOpen?ref=hl
Beautiful post Chris. Love that your children remind you when you forget. 🙂 Shows how invested they are in that time together.-Ashley
Thank you so much Ashley! They truly are invested, which is the most beautiful part of this post. I am praying they continue investing their hearts and lives in Him. 🙂
Hey Chris! You know I love this post! Your kids are adorable. Don’t you just love the sincerity of their hearts at that age? We’ve been doing this since our kids were little. You’re correct…it immediately brings peace, fills our spirit and more! We’ve added our son-in-law to the picture as well! Many parents sometimes forget that we never stop being parents, regardless of how old our children become! The older they get, we should pray for them even more, because the warfare increases! A great prayer booklet I use for specific prayers is, “The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children” by Stormie Omartian. Thanks so much for sharing Chris…have a lovely week my friend!
I just LOVE those books by Stormie Omartian!! What a great resource for anyone to use… she has books for all who want to pray! Power of a Praying —–(Hubs, Wife, Parent…) those help focus our prayer life, and I love that you brought those to our attention!!
I love also, that you now include your son-in-law! Now that is just precious!!! XO
I think that is WONDERFUL that you pray before dinner!! Your kiddos will always remember that tradition and hopefully realize the value of prayer because of this time you spend together lifting up your thoughts and needs to God.
There are so many opportunities to pray. Those ‘formal’ expected times are so worthwhile!!! And yet- those moments that aren’t planned are sometimes the best and most authentic prayers of all.
Try it sometime!!! I think you will love sharing those ‘impulsive prayer moments’ with your kids! That’s actually how our morning prayers began… 🙂
Every night, before bed, I would go from room to room. Yes, it took time and I was anxious to get to all those things I couldn’t do while they were up, but now I know what precious time that was. Wouldn’t trade it for the world. I remember those right-before-vacation prayers before pulling out of the driveway, those spur-of-the-moment prayers in the van as we had just heard of the death of a close family friend. Times we were united before the Father. Oh, so precious!
What a beautiful memory to think through all those precious moments you spent praying with each of your children. Aren’t you so glad you realized your priorities and shared that beautiful gift with them? Oh, how I hope I can say that and remember treasured times like those!
(Tearing up over here!)
My kids aren’t in school yet, but I love the idea of sending them off with a prayer. We pray before bed, but I think to slow down the whirlwind of a hectic morning by throwing up some gratitude and grace is a FANTASTIC way to start the day!
I love that you pray before bed, Stephanie!! We tried bible time and prayer before bed for a while… and sadly- life got in the way. It seems we are always trying to get them to bed at a decent time and the madness of summer rush pushed that significant time away. We keep saying how we need to get that back into our evening routine, so thank you for this reminder!!!
I love how you said that- “throwing up some gratitude and grace is a FANTASTIC way to start the day!”. AMEN sista!!! 😉
AW!!! You are the BEST AnnMarie! I just love that you really take in my words and always let it in your heart, whatever the message! I LOVE that you will look at praying with the older kids!! Oh, it will be mighty powerful, my friend!! Just ten minutes! They can handle ten minutes!!!