Monday, April 6, 2009

Cleansing Prayer

Tonight my hard working husband is working late (much to his sadness, he is missing the NCAA Championship game in which his Alma Mater is playing!)When bedtime approached, and our ten year-old reminded me that he needed to shower, I decided to cut hair (10 and 7) and bathe everyone! This serves me well because I don't have to try to remember who is due for a wash behind the ears before they reach a point where they could grow potatoes back there! So, I put the 10 year-old in the separate shower stall and the 7 in the big tub in the master bath. The 4 year-old went in the tub in the guest bath and the 2 went in the kids' bathroom tub. This turned out to be a great plan! There was no hot water left when it was all done, but everyone was washed and scrubbed and in their pj's by 8:30 (this is later than normal, but it is vacation time after all!).

Something else I did while they were swimming and splashing in colored water (love those tub-tint tabs!) was scrub four toilets and wipe mirrors, scour sinks and floors. This is a great use of my time and it is a trick I learned a long time ago.

The most important thing I did while forty little fingers and forty little toes got pruney, was pray. Here's how I did it.

Toliets: (wow - is it that hard to aim for and hit the water in the bowl?) Please, God, protect the purity if my children. May they not be taken captive by the deception of the world, lead by the Father of lies. May they understand that they are created in Your image, that their bodies are meant to be temples, and may they guard their purity carefully, saving themselves for their future spouse. May they not be victims of those who would hurt them. May they not be tempted to be flippant about their bodies. May they be modest.

Mirrors: (the splatter of soap bubbles battles the toothpaste for center stage) Please, Father, protect the way my children see themselves. May they not be fooled by a world that tells them that their worth comes from what they do or what they see in the mirror. May they know that the only identity that matters is the one that they have, or can have, as a child of the King! May they like what they see. May my daughter be glad she is a girl, and may she understand that being pretty is fleeting but a woman who loves and fears God is truly beautiful. May my boys be glad they are boys and may they grow up to be men who are proud to stand up for what is right and good and true.

Sinks: (the blue toothpaste wins here, get me a chisel!) Please, Lord, may the words on their lips be kind and pure. May the meditations of their hearts be pleasing to God because Your word says that out of the heart the mouth speaks. May my children speak up for truth, for what is right, and for those who need a champion. May they use their words to build each other up and encourage others. May they learn early that it is better to listen before we speak and sometimes it is better not to speak at all. May they grow up to have God's words pouring forth from their lips because they have spent time memorizing scripture so they will always be ready to give an answer for why they believe and do what they believe and do.

Floor: (I have to wait until the rooms are empty - my socks get soaked from the 2 year-old's bath) Please, God, may they walk the path of righteousness. May their steps be sure and set on the solid Rock of Jesus. May they run from temptation. May they run to things that are good and lovely and honest. May they be the first to arrive for a hard days' work and the last to leave. May they be healthy and active. May they delight in following the path You set before them and may they constantly seek to stay on it.

Towels: (Now they are all hung, dripping their blue or purple or green tinted water, having done their cozy drying jobs) Please, Father, may You wrap them in Your love, may they be sure of Your presence, may they never doubt that You are with them. May they be certain that they are loved by You and that they are loved by us. May they know the warmth of our home and our family and may they always come home to us.