Hebrews Chapter 4

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12, NIV

A Prayer Over Our Children

Allow my little girl to enter Your rest through her faith and obedience in You. Let your word pierce through her life, spirit, and soul as living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. Hold her thoughts and attitudes accountable before You, uncovered and laid bare before Your Sight. Oh Lord, help her to hold firmly to the faith she professes. And I pray, oh God, that she may approach Your throne of grace with confidence so that in her times of need, she may receive mercy and find grace.

Have you ever experienced a gem of a morning? When all is right with the world and everything is cozy and good? When these days come, they sneak upon you with peaceful quiet and joyful contentment. Who would have guessed a Saturday morning would have been that treasured day? That gem of a morning which we, parents, often crave and long for? 
     
It started with the unusual occurrence of Sweet pea sleeping in. Now, I am sure most of you parents understand when I tell you that Sweet pea serves as our personal alarm clock. She so rarely sleeps in, that I never set an alarm unless a specific time is required for me to rise. Never fail, even if Sweet pea is up an hour or two beyond her bedtime, she still rises at the dawn of day. During week days, her early rising is a part of our schedule, but on those coveted Saturday mornings, my husband and I groan and bury our heads like ostriches in the sand.
     
“Mommy! Time to wake uu-up!” sings out her bright and sweet voice. “Daddy! Time to wake uu-up!” she trills.
     
But today, when Sweet pea’s voice sang cheerfully through the monitor, the sun shone with unusual brightness and light. With a start, my husband stared at the clock and exclaimed,
     
“She slept in an hour!” What a beautiful way to start the day! The unexpected gift of an extra hour of sleep is a rare jewel of a morning, indeed!
     
Rising to claim my sweet, little girl, I deposited her on our bed to jump on Daddy and bring him to full wakeful status. Reading stories cuddled in bed commenced next and a lazy, unhurried breakfast followed. With the rare treat of having no demands or plans pressing on our agenda, we were free to take our time and do whatever we wished. More stories, a trip to the library, and then an unexpected jaunt to the local Christian bookstore sailed by in smooth, unfettered fashion. Then, curling beside each other on the couch with the bright sunshine pouring down on our faces, we munched cold, leftover pizza as my husband read book after book after book to his girls. Fancy and filled with adventure it was not, but warm, pleasant, happy, and without angst it most certainly was. 
     
Sometimes, I find the days I expect to be filled with great fun and enjoyment like those at the amusement park, special planned trips, or other kinds of fun entertainment, to fall short of fullness of joy. So many times, we come away from these days drained, exhausted, with ears ringing and dragging away a whining, cranky child whose countdown to meltdown hovers ominously. We come away having portioned off a segment of ourselves – our sanity, energy, effort, and time. 
     
But, it is sometimes those regular days, when we are not looking for it, when we are not expecting it, that we encounter our precious gem days. The days where there is nothing pressing on the agenda, nothing planned and no where to go, that the most joy and fullness of family bonding time can occur. It is sometimes when a day unfolds that is free of distractions and demands, where the most peace prevails; one that allows for the space, breath, and fullness of presence to enter. Like today, it wasn’t the extra sleep time, lazy morning, trip to the library and unexpected jaunt to the bookstore that made the day special. Rather, it was the laughter, engaged interactions one with another, time spent free of distractions or hurried deadlines, and oneness of spirit that fostered an atmosphere of contentment and peace.
     
​The funny thing is that you don’t plan for days like today, it just happens. Or does it? I wonder if we intentionally and purposefully set time aside for our family, free of the television, cell phones, agenda, schedule, and self, might we experience more jewel days? If we set ourselves to be fully present in the moment with our family members where we enter in and genuinely interact with each other, where we create space for one another, and was content in the joy of togetherness, might we know the secret of full and filled lives? Yes, I think so. I believe we would live lives that promote oneness of spirit and wholeness of mind rather then the fragmented, detached, chaotic, constant running we find ourselves engaged in day in and day out? I find the joy is often found in the simple because we can devote ourselves more fully to the present and to each other, rather then be pulled away or distracted from each other through the endless demand of activities, looming deadlines, and chores which scatter our attention and time from one another. 

Try it! May I challenge each one of you to set aside one morning, one afternoon, or evening when we can set aside all things which vie for our time, space, and attention and devote that segment of valuable family togetherness, solely for each other? Turn off the TV, turn off the cell phones, get off the devices, and clear the schedule of commitments and chores. See what happens when we commit to being present with each other, listening actively to one another, and giving of our self through our love, laughter, time, attention, and self. I think we will find that the empty space that exists within each one of us, in our children, and within our marriages, will be filled with love, life, light, and truth or genuine relationship.   Perhaps, when we spend quality time with each other, angsts and squabbles will diminish in their frequency and intensity. Perhaps, we will be able to claim more of our lives back and create what we have always longed for in our families. Perhaps, we will know the joy of true fellowship.
     
It doesn’t have to be fancy, it doesn’t have to be expensive. It could be as simple as cooking a meal together, making a pizza from scratch, or playing board games in lieu of watching a movie. It could be walks or bike rides outside or picnic lunches in the great outdoors, or fun activities like roller skating and ice skating. Maybe, it will even take the shape of a long car ride with the devices turned off and songs sung together in silly abandon, or a fiercely competitive round of the alphabet or license plate game. Whatever it is, join your imaginations together, play and be present with one another, spend time and share in the same space with each other. Breathe, laugh, smile, listen, converse, share, and just be. 
     
It is like this with our relationship with Jesus. He wants our undivided attention, our undistracted mind, our fully engaged presence so that we can engage in oneness and fullness of spirit. If we find it difficult to build and grow our relationships with each other and our own family members because of how filled, crazy, chaotic, and hectic our lives are, how much more difficult is it then to grow in our relationship with the Lord? So often, it is the thing that stands right before us in full physicality that first flags our attention. Jesus, who is always with us in Spirit yet not in body, often gets shoved by the wayside or to the background. So many times, it is not Jesus whom we first seek in times of distress or trouble, but rather the last. However, we can change our fleshly reactions and our own reliance upon the physical, if we intentionally seek Christ each day and if we purposefully set time apart to be fully present with Him, devoting our attention to listen and to be still.
     
Developing our relationship with Jesus Christ should be our number 1 priority. But, if you are like me, He is the number 1 priority in intentionality but not in physicality or actuality. Just as we need to intentionally set time aside to develop our relationship with our family members, we need to also purposefully, mindfully, and intentionally set time aside for our Lord and Savior. We need to create the space for Him, invite Him in to share in our days, make time for Him by carving out a specific part of our day to read the Bible, and pray. we need to give God our full attention and listen to what He might be whispering to our spirits and we need to clear our minds of distractions so that we might commune wholly and fully in His presence. As you take time to invest in your family relationship, so also take time to invest in your relationship with Jesus and grow in your daily walk with Him. 

A Parent’s Prayer

Lord, filter out the distractions and the demands upon my time so that I may be fully present with You and with my family. Help me to put aside earthly things to focus instead on developing deeper bonds of relationship. Open my eyes, oh God. Call me deeper, that I may hear and know Your voice.  Allow me to commune with You this day.