Bedtime prayers

Every night without fail we say bedtime prayers.  Usually I go from one room to another beginning with Olivia, then Hannah, then Sarah.  I love bedtime prayers for so many reasons and I'm not looking forward to the day my children decide that they are too old for me to kneel beside their bed and pray.  Having said that, maintaining such a routine can also be frustrating at times.  At this stage in life, the girls refuse to go to sleep without their prayer.  It's those days when I'm so tired that I just wish they would put themselves to sleep and say their own prayers, but somehow I manage to pick myself up and follow through.

Bedtime prayers are different with each child.  With Olivia I kneel beside her as she lays.  She melts my heart every night!  Her prayers always begin the same - word for word.  She says:

"Dear Jesus,
Thank you for wonderdul world and
Thank you for this wonderdul day."

She will then pray for her cousin Lachlan and his family, for preschool and anything else that has been on her mind.  When she's finished I say "Jesus loves you, Olivia" and she will look up with the cutest, melt-your-heart smile and voice and say "I love you too Jesus."  This often leads on to a little conversation about Jesus and that he's watching over her as she sleeps.  It's such a beautiful moment.

Next is Hannah.  Hannah is my super routine girl.  She has to be laying in her bed while I hug her in a particular way as I kneel beside her.  I pray first and must pray for at least 5 things or it's too short (Hannah will say). I always begin by praying out loud and thanking him for something specific she has done that day or something to do with her character.  For example, thank you Jesus for sending me this angel.  Thank you that she was so willing to help set the table and is such a hard worker.  She always squeezes me a bit tighter right then!  I love it!  It's such a beautiful way of showing Hannah how much I'm thankful for her.  After I finish Hannah will say her prayer.  We then have about 3 big hugs, a few kisses each and she will go off to sleep quickly.

Next on to Sarah!  Sarah is changing at the moment and is so keen to grow up, but I still see glimpses of the little girl in her.  I pray for Sarah much the same as Hannah but Sarah will say a quick prayer.  Sarah's will always include, "put the angels at the doors, the windows and every entrance" and will finish with "oh, and forgive me for my sins."  Sarah will then want me to linger beside her as she tells me how lucky she is to have me.  She always asks for a song and sometimes I sing her a lullaby (with funny little inserst about her) or a church song like 'flow through me'.

Bedtime prayers can very often be a near-perfect ending to a much less than perfect day.  It's such a good time to thank God for them while they're listening and to pray for some of the things we're working on.  I'll often ask God to give them strength not to lie or not to follow the wrong crowd.  This is also a perfect time where the girls will open up and talk about things that are bothering them.  I know this a time the girls will never forget and will then go on to do with their children.

And just to include some photos, I found these on my iphone.  I think they're very clever!  

I'd love to hear if you have a bedtime routine.

The Love of God

This has been my husbands favourite poem for some time so I have printed it out to put on the wall.  Apparently it comes from a song.  I do not know who the writer is but it is beautiful, so true!

You can download it out here.

I hope you're enjoying your day!  I'm stuck at home with a head cold and sore throat wishing I could be visiting my friends new baby!   

Ruth

Sending down roots.

Jer 17:8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

I'm inspired by this scripture in recent days. I think of the 'sending down roots' to represent our daily devotion with God - our prayer, bible reading and studying of the Word. Now that I'm staying home full time, I find that the organisation of my time suffers. I can move things around, do them later or even do them tomorrow if I please. Fitting into this category is also my devotion time. I am inspired by this scripture to make a constant time and place (every day) where I can send down my roots. For me, in this season, it seems to be 11am. If I'm out, I'm not going to stress about it, but that will be my time. I'll set the timer on my mobile to remind me each day and I will hold to it. I'll be having a cuppa with Jesus :)

Although I do not have turmoil in my life, I do not know what the day, week and months ahead will bring. If I enter a drought or if the heat comes against me I can be confident that I have sent down my roots and will not cease from yielding fruit.

Shoes!!!

Shoes... shoes.... shoes!!!

Does anyone else have a problem with shoes. I could probably count about 10 pairs of shoes lying around the house at anyone time - gumboots, sneakers, slippers, church shoes, thongs, everyday shoes, booties, school shoes.......shoes.... shoes SHOES!!

I tell you honestly that nothing drives me more crazy than shoes everywhere. This was until now.... I can't promise that they wont continue to drive me batty, but I do have a solution that might just take the edge of the frustration - a bit like a pethidine shot :)

I'm gonna pray.... sound strange?

I'm going to pray for the person who wears that shoe. Let me give you an example - as I put away Missy's school shoes I will say a quick prayer that God will help her while she's at school, when I find Hubby's slippers I will pray that God will give him rest and that our home would be a haven for him. When I find gumboots I will pray for their health and physical well being.... etc. get the drift?

I can't totally take the credit for this idea as I remember reading something similar somewhere a few years back - before shoes became a problem, but I'm willing to give it a go.