A few years ago, I read a short article about a woman who consistently prayed for her children and listened to praise and worship music in their rooms while they were away. I liked the idea, but I remember wondering what the big deal was about their rooms—it almost seemed superstitious to me.
I’ve
changed my mind. My little one started school this year, so for the first time
in many years, I’m finding myself alone in the house. And while I can pray for
my children anywhere, I see this lady’s point:
there’s something special about praying for them while I’m in their
rooms. (I love that line from Shadowlands
where Jack is talking about prayer, and he says, “It doesn’t change God; it
changes me.”)
My kids are old enough to clean their own rooms, but I still
spend time in there weeding out clothes and occasionally restoring order to the
drawers. I like the idea of touching my son’s toy hammer and praying that he’ll
grow up to be just like his father. I put my daughter’s toy tea set away and
pray that she’ll live long enough to have joyous old-lady tea parties with
lifelong friends. Praying for them inside their rooms gives me perspective: it
reminds me that while correcting their behavior is absolutely crucial to
raising them the way I want them to turn out, it’s even more important to point
them to the Lord every day. The Holy Spirit can nudge them to behave much
better than I can, right? And I’m all about setting this family up for success.
I
haven’t tried the music thing yet, but it’s not a bad idea. If I do happen to
scare off a demon or something—well, that’s just a cherry on top.
--Andrea
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