Kids Need Their Mom…. To Pray in Secret with the Door Open
I am starting a series, of sorts. While shopping in an Amish bulk foods store the other day, I found this book “52 Things Kids Need From a Mom” by Angela Thomas. I decided this would be a great way to bring some regularity to my posting here as well as an awesome opportunity to grow as a mom. So for the next 52 weeks, join me on a journey to give our kids somethings they need from us!
Right off the bat, I hesitated to start. Of course the very first chapter had to do with my relationship with the Lord, an area that sadly gets neglected in the chaos. Seriously, how am I supposed to pray or read to comprehend and learn anything?! Urgh…now I am going to have to get up at 5:30 to gain control of my day with the Lord. I just can’t get that quiet time in when they are up at 6:30 and don’t go to bed until 7 at which point I finish the house chores, or sometimes start them!
Well, after procrastinating a few days, I picked up the book and read that first chapter. Thankfully! It did not offer condemnation, but hope and awesome perspective.
Yes, Matthew 6 does say to pray, give and fast in secret. But we are mothers, called to teach our children and how else will they know what to do in secret if we don’t teach them? And what better way to teach than by example?
Motherhood is just a season, and part of that season means being exposed! That is actually quite a blessing because an open door helps us develop integrity where no one sees. I felt in awe of God’s wisdom as it poured from those pages. We feel exposed anyway due to lack of privacy and personal space, but it need to go deeper…we need to expose our hearts!
Encouraged, I sat at the table to read my Bible and pray while the boys played or watched a show every morning since. I quietly went about my quiet time. So far they really haven’t noticed or at least let on that they noticed. But thats ok. I am putting God first, without having to get up before dawn to have that time before they get going, and the added bonus that praying and reading has set the tone for my day like nothing else can. In time, the repetition of seeing me incorporate God into my day will take root in their minds.
I went from panicking and feeling overwhelmed on Monday to feeling resolved and at peace with God’s direction over my days. This chapter was truly a multifaceted blessing.
