“Lord will you please get me through this morning?” seems to be a prayer I lift up many times as a home schooling mother. I write that with a sprinkling of humor. However, as a Christian, I can’t think of anything more important than infusing prayer with our teaching.
As home schoolers, we have the unique opportunity to make learning the Bible a part of our curriculum. Whether it’s teaching my children to pray, or striving to lead by example, prayer is an integral part of our home school. As a matter of fact, prayer brought me to this place in our family’s life.
Before we had school-aged children, I was interested in home schooling them. My husband wasn’t keen on the idea, but I felt strongly it was God’s plan for our family. I began praying “Lord, if this is what You want, let him know it! If it isn’t, get me over it!” Over time, my husband’s outlook on home schooling shifted to the opposite end of the spectrum, and he is my biggest supporter. (Seeing our children thrive in this type of educational environment spurs him on, too!)
Prayer plays a major role in many areas of our lives. However, as a parent, two aspects of prayer stand out.
Pray with your kids. I have no doubt prayer sets an example for our children. When they see and hear us pray openly, it shows them the importance of a healthy prayer life. One thing I do often is pray out loud for people involved in car accidents we drive by or for the inmates picking up road side garbage. “Are you praying Mommy?” I’ll hear from the back seat. They are used to it now, and know it isn’t just some maniacal ramblings of their crazy mother (although those can happen at times, too!).
When my older daughter became four, we explained to her since she was a “big girl” now, her dinner time prayer probably shouldn’t be the “A B C Song” prayer anymore. She could do her own thing. That first big girl prayer brought this big girl to tears. Every single sentence of her pretty extensive prayer began with “Thank you”. Oh, what we can learn from those little ones!
When my oldest daughter was six, I ordered a craft kit for a prayer box for us to make. She loved making it, and was very enthusiastic about its intended use. Until we packed up most of the house when it went on the market, the box sat on her desk. Aside from the first six pieces of paper she put in there, I don’t know if she added any more prayers. However, she knows the purpose of the box, and hopefully, she’ll need a bigger one someday.
Pray for your kids. I have always prayed for my girls. Usually, they were the surface “keep-them-safe-let-them-be-Christians-and-could-you-please-make-them-mind-me-for-once!” prayers. One day, a sobering thought occurred to me – I may be the only one praying for them. I had a burden to be more specific and more intentional with my prayers for them.
A friend of mine gave me a copy of a “prayer calendar”. I have used it ever since. Each day is a different prayer based on scripture. On the first of the month, I pray for their salvation (2 Tim. 2:10); the 18th of the month I ask for their perseverance (Heb. 12:1); and on the 21st I pray for responsibility (Gal. 6:5).
By using this calendar, my eyes have been opened to the many different facets of my children’s lives that should be infused with prayer. It has also helped me notice the areas where they are showing improvement.
When my five-year-old finally cleaned her room without me asking her a second time, I remembered my prayer for responsibility (Gal. 6:5). I thought of the prayer for compassion (Col. 3:12) when my eight-year-old sent the money she had saved (for months) for Heelies to an organization that provided surgery for children with cleft palates.
You can obtain a prayer calendar at this web site:
http://www.wvupci.org/wvnop/articles/Parents-Prayer-Calendar.asp
I’ll admit I fall off the prayer wagon many times than I would like. Life happens, and unfortunately, my prayer life suffers for it. However, if we can keep an attitude of prayer in all things, whether it’s passing a wreck, doing a school project, or eating a meal – our children will pick up on it more than we may realize.
