Thank you so much for your comments this weekend about breakfast and back-to-school tips. I loved reading them all, and wish I could respond personally to each. But please know much I appreciate you taking the time to write them.
On Friday, Karen Ehman posted some great recipes, and offered a giveaway of her book, “The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized,” plus a Target gift card. I’m happy to announce that Gwen (posting on August 31 at 11:57 am) was selected in a random number drawing to win. Gwen, I’ll be sending you an email today. Now on to the back-to-school series.
Today’s message has to do with prayer. As a mother of four teenagers and a 21-year-old, I find my prayers have a resounding similarity: “Father, please protect (insert child’s name) at (insert location).” I usually elaborate on why that particular child needs protection, and move on to the next request for help.
You might call me a worrier. Statistics don’t help to curb my worry. I know that if 99% of people don’t get hurt walking to McDonalds, there is 1% that do. And, you guessed it, I’m certain someone I love will be in that 1%.
Over the years, God has addressed this issue in my life, and revealed my lack of faith in His ability to protect (as I mentioned last week). God has also brought miraculous healing over paralyzing fear. Nevertheless, I still found my prayers focusing on keeping my children safe. Until I heard a pastor challenge parents to shoot high for their children in prayer.
It didn’t take a detailed self-assessment to realize I’d reduced my prayers to the common denominator of safety. While that is critically important, I realized I had replaced my vision for their futures with worry about their present. I’ve been caring for the needs of children for 21 years, and I find myself consumed at times with just making it through the day.
While I know I should be praying for more than that, I sometimes find it hard to rise above the daily needs and routines, and cast a vision for the future. Thankfully, the Bible tells the story of one mother who had a wonderful vision for her child’s future. Her name was Hannah.
Hannah’s story is told in First Samuel. She was the beloved wife of Elkanah, but she could not conceive a child. Hannah prayed for God to give her a child, and promised to give her child back to the Lord all the days of his life (1 Samuel 1:11). God heard that prayer and promise, and blessed Hannah with a son, whom she named Samuel.
Hannah kept true to her oath to offer her son to the Lord, and after she had weaned him, she took Samuel to Eli the priest for training. Hannah continued to bless her son’s calling, and every year made him a linen ephod (robe) and took it to him when she and her husband offered sacrifices.
Hannah could have stopped her prayers at the gift of a baby. Anyone who has ever struggled with infertility knows that it can be all consuming. Yet Hannah wanted more than a baby to treasure and love. Her plan wasn’t for a child she could keep to herself. Hannah had a vision for a child who would serve the Lord all the days of his life. God heard and answered that prayer.
Praying like Hannah pushes me out of my routine. Most nights as I fall into bed, I’m thankful my children have made it through another day. I’ve lost a niece in a car accident, and so I’m particularly grateful for every breath. And yet, I’m missing a powerful opportunity to partner with God for their future when I stop my prayers at protection.
As we start a new school year, I’m challenged to expand my prayers for my children. I want to re-dedicate my three sons and two daughters to God for His service. I’m committing to pray boldly for God to use them in a mighty way, and for them to be lights in the darkness. I believe God wants to do greater things in our children’s lives than we can imagine. I hope you’ll join me in increased prayers for our children.
God’s Word
I Samuel 1:27-28, “I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD.” And he worshiped the LORD there.”
Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
James 1:5-7, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God,who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”
Organizing Tip
Last Friday, Karen wrote about pre-planning and pre-making breakfasts in order to make mornings less chaotic. And I wanted to add more on the topic of mornings.
For years, I had no control over our mornings. I worked hard to bring order to my home and schedule, and yet mornings did me in. It seemed no matter what I tried, I’d get frustrated, lose my cool, and someone left the house mad or hurt every morning. That was not how I wanted to start our day. The morning I pointed the remote control at two bickering children and tried to turn them “off,” was the day I knew I’d lost it.
As I tried to assess the problem, I realized the TV was a common denominator. Sometimes there was conflict between the siblings over what to watch. Other times it was hard to get them away from the TV. And even when I turned on the news for myself, the noise level in the house bothered me. So I turned off the TV in the mornings. Even for myself.
I also realized we needed some structure. So I created a timed schedule, including when to wake up, eat, shower and leave the house. I posted this schedule on the refrigerator for all to see.
Amazingly, this worked. My children adapted easily, and so did I. We didn’t miss the TV. We talked more. There was less rushing around. Less forgetting things. More kindness. And everyone was happier.
If you like this idea of a schedule, you can work all kinds of things into it. You can add time for reading a book, doing a devotion or prayer. You can schedule spelling test reviews or starting the night’s dinner. Just by getting it on a schedule, makes it more likely you’ll get it done.
Have morning schedules worked for you? I’d love to hear about it. Please post a comment.
Thanks for joining me today.
Grace & Peace,
Glynnis
Schedules have worked for us in the past as well. I too, have posted them on the refrigerator. I actually put mine in my Google calendar as well, so that 5 minutes prior to each event a reminder will go off reminding us that we need to be moving on to whatever is next on the list. I have everything in that calendar and my phone is constantly reminding me, but it helps me to not forget… well, as long as I remember to put it in there. LOL.
Thanks so much again for sharing your words of encouragement…
We definitely have schedules because we have one bathroom and six people to go out the door. I am not a coherent morning person so I start first so I can be civil when the kids get up. Chores, bus times and age as well as morning personalities all are addressed with the order of the morning call and shower access. You have to trust you know your children well, and you do.
Glynnis, I’m joining you in raising my prayer level for my son and daughter, now in their twenties and shining their lights in helping professions. I will ask the Lord daily to “recharge their batteries so their lights may shine sooo brightly!” And may all of you facing the start of another school year be strengthened by His mercy and grace, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
We have a morning routine that involves an order for rising and showering. We also have a lunch-packing routine. One daughter gets the spoons and napkins, another makes sandwiches, and our third daughter takes care of the fruit/yogurt, cheese stick, and snack. We are individually responsible to get a water bottle and ice pack. We got a puppy this summer which caused a few adjustments to that schedule for this school year, but we’re making it work!
I have an 8 yr old granddaughter that I get of to school. She has a hard time staying focused so I put a clock in her bathroom and her bedroom. I let her know how much time she has and that works for us. She also got her own alarm clock. We are getting there with that one. Mornings are not an issue, it is bedtime that we struggle with.
If it were not for morning schedules, our family would go nuts! I started when my children were infants and it has continued until now, ages 12, 14, and 17. Prior to them being able to read, I used number puzzle pieces taped to a digital clock showing them what time they could get up (“7″ for the am, “3″ for nap time, etc). In those days, I wanted them to STAY in bed! We have the opposite problem now
Getting their first alarm clock was a big deal! We let them pick out whatever character or color they wanted…anything to make it more exciting! They were expected to rise when the clock went off, make their bed, get dressed and come down for breakfast. That tradition and responsibility carries through still today (with less excitement). While the family eats breakfast I read family devotions. This often is the only meal we can get together so I WILL NOT negotiate getting up 10 minutes early so that my family can start te day nutritional and spiritually fed. We are more relaxed on weekends, but still have breakfast and devotions together. My mom did this when I was growing up and although I resented it at times back then, it is a precious memory for me now and a lovely tradition I enjoy passing down to my family.
I pray for my adult children daily…thank you for the reminder to pray for more than their safety. As far as morning routines go…the year my son was a sophomore in high school, another student was killed in a car accident on the way to school. I vowed that day to structure our mornings so no one left the house in a rush or angry. It was so worth the effort. Life is so very fragile and precious.
I laughed out loud at your using the remote to turn your children off! I could actually have done that with success when our 2 oldest were still home – it’s the type of humor that drives our home. Mornings are much easier now with just hubby, myself and our daughter. Hubby and I each have our own routines, and when our middle schooler (just starting so that’s still hard to write) gets up I take care of her while also finishing getting myself ready for work. I truly believe that it’s only thru God’s grace that our mornings go as smoothly as they (usually) do. And when we do hit bumps, it’s normally because I get rattled about something and then become unglued. But when that does happen, I take my daughter aside before she heads out the door and apologize for my over-reaction to whatever it was that unglued me. We can then leave the house with restored peace and get our days back on the right track. With all that said, the idea of a schedule will be held for reference. Like I said, she’s just starting middle school, so all bets are off for what this year will bring.
I keeP a family binder with everything in it! I’ve gotten great ideas on pinterest! Thank u so much for this message…. Needing it as my” baby”. Goes off to that place….. School!
Our schoolday mornings can be rough, but a firm routine has helped us tremendously. The boys are expected to get out of bed and get dressed before coming to the kitchen for breakfast. We realized early on that the TV was too distracting (I had the same problem as you, even with the news!) So it stays off. While I don’t have a published schedule for then to look at (I may try that, though!) I do know how far along they need to be in their routine at certain times so that no one is late. I give them 2-minute warnings when they’re expected to move on to the next thing. And we always pack schoolbags and lay out our clothes the night before just to keep it all simple in the morning. It helps that they wear a uniform
Thanks for sharing your struggles and wisdom with us.
My oldest is starting grade one this year, so this is the first time we’ll have to be out of the house first thing, 5 days a week. (Last year he went 2 or 3 days per week and I work 3 days per week). Our morning routines generally start the night before; lunches and bags are packed the night before.
My biggest challenge is getting myself up early enough to have time to make the kids a good breakfast and still have time to get myself ready for work. Mornings have been hard for me my whole life and I still press the snooze button too many times! I desperately want to be up and ready before the rest of the family so I can focus on the kids once they are up, but am having trouble breaking this “habit”. Hopefully this year will be a new beginning.
Thanks for challenging us to pray for our children with vision.
The biggest morning save for me is having all homework, backpacks, gym bags, etc. ready to go the night before. On the days that I work (outside the home!), I’ve also found that things go much easier if I get myself up and ready before the kids need to get up – shower, dress, devotional, breakfast, etc. Then I can devote more time to the kids if they need me. They are old enough now to take care of themselves for the most part, but they still need the reminders and prodding to keep moving in the right direction. The TV and computer is also off-limits in the morning, unless by some miracle said child is ready way ahead of estimated time of departure! If so, they sometimes get the treat of catching a morning program, or the sports updates, in the case of my son!
I have a morning and after-school schedule for my kiddos and used clip art pictures to show the activities from making the bed to brushing teeth, etc. It’s a checklist of everything that needs to be done before the TV or play can begin. My kids are 7 and 4 and we’ve used this for over a year now. Not only does my 7-year old girl know what her responsibilities are before she can do her own thing, but it’s helped her learn to read the list. My son also knew his responsibilities this year by using the picture and recognizing which numbered item he had to do next and now at age 4 he is also learning to read the words that are stating the task in text. To my amazement, even my 18-month old and her 19-month old friend (we do daycare in the home) follow the tasks in order based on the pictures like “Get dressed” and “Put your clothes in the hamper” “Potty and Wash Hands” “Brush Teeth” etc. are all tasks on the list that they know what I mean if I point to the pictures!! And they’re learning to recognize the numbers in order and point out the letters they recognize in the text! Who knew my frustrations as a busy daycare mom would turn out to be such an amazing teaching tool when I was just desperate to find a way to keep our mornings more routine and less-stressful! Thank you Father In Heaven!! Now to keep them on task using this familiar list…that’s one that can still be tricky some mornings
We have a great morning schedule. I got tired of being the bitchy mom repeating that my daughter hurries to get up. She’s 10 and started to like sleeping in #%$#@!!! They take the bus at 8:40am. I now have her set her alarm clock for 7:40 and she can press snooze once. If she’s down by 8:00am, I’m feeling good. My son gets up at 6:30-7:00 to play video games. I let him play till 7:30, at which point he eats breakfast, and then straight upstairs to brush his teeth, get dressed and make lots of noise to inevitably wake his sister
I start the lunches at 7:30 and am usually done by 8:00 (with all the interruptions). Then I set the oven alarm for 8:30 and tell the kids that when that alarm goes off, we go out for the bus. The alarm has worked wonders for years (even at bedtime) because it’s not a human being barking out “it’s time to go! hurry!” It’s an alarm. So all I have to say is “you heard it guys. let’s go!” Works every time. All of this works really well on our good days 
When I was a homeschool mom, I made all kind of schedules but none of them ever worked. Then one day I read a book about/for stay-at-home moms. One of the things it discussed was making a “master” schedule that had EVERYONE on it. You see, all my other schedules failed because they were only for me. This new “master” schedule had all my children on it too. I had everything on it: all meals and prep times, chores, school work, naps, play time, etc. While child D napped, I worked with child A, and child B and child C played or did worksheets/computer. While I cooked dinner, child A set the table and child C and D did something else. I really worked. But remember you are the master of the the schedule the schedule is not your master. Be flexible.
Thank you for your article. My daughter is struggling with spelling (and having to write in cursive). Your suggestion for rewarding the diligent work instead of the test score was fantastic. I will be doing that from now on. Thanks again.