"Mommy, I wanna pray!"

Rustic Block Set by Mary&Martha

One of my New Year's "resolutions" (and yes, I'm putting that word in quotes because it's not a resolution, it's a life commitment!) was to intentionally and DAILY pray for my children.  Each. One. Of. Them!

So I have.  A daily prayer.  A continuous prayer.  

I'm sure you've heard that if you maintain a spirit of thanksgiving, your worries go away.

For me, praying for my children has given me a perspective I haven't had before.

I'm finding myself less tense, less irritable, on top of my short temper... and, dare I say... more patient?

Prayer has kept me from exploding.

The Lord's been given me a glimpse of the way He is pursuing me, by giving me an eternal hunger for my children... a deep desire to see them come to Jesus as their own Lord and Savior.  He pursues me.  Wow!

And... you know what else?  

My kids see me.  They watch me.  They hear me.  They notice... 

So, these last few days, I hear Joshua and Elsie say "Mommy, I want to pray!", or, "it's MY turn to pray"!  

At bedtime, Elsie is the one who eagerly volunteers to pray for "Mommy, Daddy, Elsie, Joshua, baby Noah, Daddy, Noah, Mommy, Elsie...(then whoever she thinks of that day)".  Yes, she prays for each one of us more than once every night!  

And this morning, I asked Joshua while taking him to school, "Joshua, do you want to pray for your day at school today?" and he eagerly said, "Sure!  Jesus, help me to have a good day in school, amen!"  

Those are the moments I want to cherish and remember.  They're communicating with God, whether or not they truly understand what that means.

I want to pray.  

What have you been praying for these days?  How can I pray for you?  The Lord hears my prayers.  And I know He hears yours, too!