good morning, dear god

There is a prayer that my brothers and I learned in grade school. We started saying it on our way to school in the car with my mom, and we continued to say it aloud together as long as she drove us to school. Then we said it when we drove to school on our own (or quietly to ourselves as we rode in a carpool). I (and I think my brothers too) continued to say it through college and on into the world of driving to work. I can't say that I've said it every day since grade school, but I love how it has been a theme woven throughout my life. And so, I taught it to Hannah. And when she's with my mom, they say it too.


Good morning, Dear God,
I offer to You:
my thoughts, words, and actions,
and all that I do.
Bless me, O Lord, and make me like You today.

Amen
 
Lately she says it all on her own without my prompting. I was so proud of her last Sunday when she said it on our way to church. I pulled into the parking lot, got out my phone, and asked her to say it again for me:

Hannah and I talk about how important that is - to be like Jesus. I know she's young, but I think she is beginning to understand what that means. To be kind, to share, to love others... To ask God to make you like Him is a big request and a big responsibility, but it is our goal as Christians. When it comes to raising children, that lesson is more important than any other to Joe and me.