As kids are heading back to school and routine takes over I am reminded of the importance of praying over my kids each day before they leave the house. And in that prayer to remind them that every action and reaction in their lives should bring glory to God.

We don’t always know how our actions will end up drawing another person closer to God. The last ripple from the small stone does not always know the first ripple.

Matthew 5:16

¹⁶ In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Let your light shine is a prayer we say over our kids each day. Matthew tells us that our good deeds should shine for all to see, not to be prideful, or to shine a spotlight on you or your kids but to bring praise to God!

We live in a society where we get awards for showing up, where you get praised just for being in attendance. Our society is all about shining a spot light on themselves to bring glory to you and me. The Bible however says that everything that we do, everything that we say, and in every way we act, we should be doing it to bring glory to God.

As parents this can be so hard. We want to brag about our kids, we want to make them feel like #1. But it is a fine line we have to learn to walk. There is absolutely nothing wrong with telling our kids they did a great job. But in doing so we have to also remember that we need to put God first. We need to remind them that in everything they do win or lose they should shine their light bright for God.

The best way for our kids to learn that is by witnessing it. By seeing us as their parents shining our light bright for God. That the words that we use, the actions that we do, and how we handle situations will be guide to our kids on how they will navigate life.

And boy can that be a hard act to do at times. The more we do it, the more we give all glory to God the easier it will become. We can be amazing examples to our kids to show them how to live a bright and fruitful life for Christ.

Prayer

God please let me shine my light bright to bring glory to your name. Help me to show my kids that You are number one in our lives and it is not about being prideful. Let each day and each moment bring glory to You, so that those around me see You in all that I do.

So shine bright for God. Let those around you see Jesus in all that you do.

Once upon a time this was my favourite view for spending time with God. It is at the camp I grew up attending and working at. I could find a quiet place anywhere on the Island and it was just God and I. It was so peaceful and you could feel God’s presence all around you.

This was my view the other day while trying to read my Bible and do my devotions about being more Spirit filled.
Being a mom and trying to spend alone time with God is hard. As often as I can I escape to a coffee shop and put my headphones in and that is my new spot with God. It is no water view with the peace of the woods but I can ignore the people around me and spend some quality time in Scripture.
But there are those days that I know I won’t be able to get out of the house.

And there are those days that my sanity and my soul cry out for God amongst the chaos of table dancing toddlers and a clingy baby and I just have to push through and read some encouraging Words and read Galatians 5:22-23 again and again:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control.
If you are struggling to find that time with God amongst the chaos of everyday life I encourage you to try harder. We need that time with God in order to show our children how important it is. In order for us to grow in our own personal Spiritual walk, and in order for us to be a better witness for those around us.

Ephesians 4:1-3

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

When your child first starts babbling you long for the day that they will reach their little chubby arms up to you and say “Mama”. And then they turn 2. Now all I hear is “MAMA?! MAMA!?” over and over again. If I don’t answer fast enough the high pitched voice gets more intense and crazed. You long for a hot bath and a piece of chocolate cake where nobody is touching you, drooling on you, or whining for more food (even though they just ate 3 waffles, a banana and a yogurt for breakfast).

And then you go and read Ephesians 4:1-3 and see that you are called to be humble, gentle, patient, and you must bear with one another in love. Oh and you must try and keep the peace. This has to be one of the hardest commands to keep as a mom. It doesn’t matter if you stay at home all day with your kids or come home from work and have to quickly switch over from work mode to home mode, because there will always be times when your kids are driving you nuts. There are days when my prayer life goes like this, “Dear God, please let the children nap, and allow a chocolate bar to show up at my house. Amen”.

So the next time you catch your little darling coloring on their sibling with marker, or spilling the entire carton of milk on the floor remember to stop and pray.

Prayer

Father, I am weak and weary at this moment. I need Your strength to keep my cool and to increase my patience with the ones you have gifted me with. Remind me when my name is screamed for the one hundredth time in the last 5 minutes that I should count it as a blessing to be called Mama. Amen.

Take a moment to collect your thoughts, to thank God for your kids. Stuff is replaceable and marker will wash off of most things and people, but your kids will only be little once. So stop and hug them and hold them close when you feel like you might lose it and just breathe.