{Hope for the Home}: Morning Blessing

I am a stay-at-home mommy.  Well, in June, July, the first half of August, half a week in November, two weeks at the end of December, and one week in March, anyway. 

The rest of the time, I'm a school counselor at our elementary school, a job which affords me the opportunity to work with 4th and 5th graders, teaching them social skills, helping them when they are having a rough day, and just being a positive role model for them.  It's a job that I love and a true fulfillment of the gifts God has given me.

Working outside the home also definitely has it's challenges.  One huge challenge for us is our morning routine.  Let me preface this by saying I am NOT a morning person.  I have tried for years to be a more positive person in the morning.  However, I have come to realize that mornings are just hard. Period.  Fortunately for me, my wonderful husband IS a morning person, so he is a huge help in this area {as in, he wakes the kids up and totally gets them ready for school...yeah, he's superman!}.  Once they're ready, he's out the door, we get breakfast, grab our "responsibilities" {bags, coats, etc.}, and head for school.

For a long time after our second child, little man C, was born, we were in survival mode in the mornings.  We would frantically get ready, and the kids and I would narrowly make it out the door in time to get them to the sitter and me to work.  My chest was tight every morning with the weight of the frenzied morning and the fact that I felt that I was missing the mark.  Once I got to work and could catch my breath, I would hear the gentle whisper of my Savior reminding me to

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” ~Psalm 46:10

It was time for a reevaluation.  Upon petitioning Christ on behalf of my children and my own sanity, He spoke to me...I needed to be praying with my children in the morning, asking God to bless their day and helping us all to focus on what is important in our lives. 

source {the praying hands}

Thus began the "Morning Blessing."

Our morning blessing is simply what it sounds like...a time that we call on Christ to bless the day for each of our family members.  I envision a morning blessing to look different for each family.  For us, it occurs in our mini-van on our way to school.  Each day, the blessing is different, but generally includes these aspects:

• Thanking Christ for our family and for the blessing of each child in our family
• Asking Christ to bless each kids' day
• Asking Christ to bless each kids' teachers/caretakers for the day
• Asking for help for each child as they make decisions throughout the day {this portion includes specifics that each child has been strugging with, such as being respectful or being kind to their friends}

Consistently going to Christ in the mornings has helped us focus on Him and has drastically decreased the stress of the morning.  It's such a simple thing that has made a HUGE difference for our family!