Prayer and the Art of Household Maintenance

I've always believed in the power of prayer. I've always considered myself a praying person. But until just recently I don't think I put enough emphasis on my prayer life and certainly didn't spend as much time in prayer as I should if I truly believe in it the way I say I do. But one of the things that the Holy Spirit is working on in me is the importance of praying for my family on a daily basis. For most people that might seem obvious, and something you have been doing on a regular basis for quite awhile. Me? Not so much.
Oh, I'd pray for Miles if he was going through a difficult time, or if he had a job interview, etc. But I didn't really think about praying for his spiritual growth, for strength to fight temptations, for him as the leader of our home, and things like that. When I started meeting with my mentor, Jonika, over 2 years ago she really challenged me regarding the importance of praying for Miles on a daily basis. I have to admit that I am better remembering it some days than others, but I usually take time to cover Miles in prayer. I pray about his day, the challenges he may be going through at the time, and for his spiritual growth. Often I use the prayer guide from "The Power of a Praying Wife." Since I started really focusing on this area of my marriage I have noticed a difference. Not in Miles, though I know that God is continuously working in his life, but in me. I am less critical, more compassionate and grace-filled toward him when he "messes up" and I no longer feel that I am responsible for pointing out areas in his life where I think he needs to change. I can more easily step back and let the Holy Spirit do His job rather than try to do the Holy Spirit's job.
Now I am adding a focus of prayer for our kids into my daily routine. Lately I have been learning the value of praying Scripture and I found this wonderful resource:
http://www.reviveourhearts.com/downloads/index.php?id=9479
It is 31 Biblical Virtues to Pray For Your Children. I have written each of them down on an index card and then together Miles & I chose 3 to focus on at a time. Obviously it pertains more to Gabby than to Jax right now. But as Jax gets older and we learn his personality and "hang-ups" we will probably pick different ones for each kid. I took the 3 we had selected and hung them up in a spot where I frequently stand during the day. Right now they are taped to the front of the microwave because we use the stove fan as white noise to get Jax to sleep. You can find either Miles or I just standing with a swaddled baby in the kitchen next to the stove at least a few times a day. (I know, strange, but it really works. Sometimes you just have to turn the fan on and he instantly gets drowsy!) So we have the cards hanging there so we can pray those Scriptures while we're rocking Jax to sleep.I have also started laying hands on them and praying over them when I check on them at night. I pray for Gabby that God would give her a heart at rest, that he would fill her with peace and that she would continue to trust us as her parents. I pray for Jax that God would keep him healthy, help him to sleep well, and that Jax would grow up to love and serve Him. I pray that both kids will one day make a decision to turn their hearts and lives over to Christ's saving work.

I know that one of the best things I can do for my marriage and for my children is to pray over them daily.

I'm back

Now that we have 2 kids, I've decided to start blogging again. I figure it's not only a good way for the family to keep up with what we're doing and how the kids are growing, but it's also a good way for me to chronicle the life of our family and my journey as a mom.

I feel like I've always been pretty serious about my spiritual growth, but in the last few months I've really felt a pressing desire to grow more. I know it's because I feel the weight of being a godly example for our kids and seeing them grow to love and serve the Lord. So some of the posts might be pretty serious as I muse about what God is doing in my life and how He is growing and stretching me.

I also want to be able to look back at the different stages of our family and see what we have gone through, memories we've made, things that were important to us, etc. And blogging it just seems to be the easiest way to keep track of all of this. I still find some moments to journal or to scrapbook, but for now this is going to serve as a little of both. So you might not care about some of the things I write about because they might read more like a journal entry or just highlight a family memory for Gabby and Jax to remember later in their lives.

So . . . read it if you wish. Check in on us every once in awhile. Or just ignore it altogether. It's up to you!