On Your Face

**Sweet Magdalena**

I can think of very few reasons for lying face down. It is not something that I do on a regular basis. So at the beginning of my study with Beth Moore about 3 weeks ago I was surprised when she recommended that we lie face-down on the ground to pray, everyday. Let me tell you I was not at all comfortable doing this. My first "on my face" prayer probably lasted about 30 seconds. However, as the weeks have gone on and I persevered in praying on my face once a day, something strange has happened.

My face time has gotten longer. Sometimes I stand up and I'm sure that there are carpet indents on my forehead and probably some Petey hairs too. I make sure to close my blinds when I do it because I'm sure if a neighbor or the mailman would happen to be on the porch and peek in they would think I was either dead or having some sort of seizure. Sometimes I am very still, and others I have my hands lifted up (probably rather awkwardly looking) and am speaking to the LORD.

Being on your face is very humbling. Sometimes I pray on my knees, and I thought that was humbling myself before the Lord. But on your face? You can't get much lower than that. I think even after my study is over, I'll continue to pray on my face. Maybe not everyday, but certainly sometimes.

One way that the children like to pray before bed is what we have come to call "Praying in a Pile". Trent and I will sit on the floor, either on our knees or on our bottoms, and the kids will all pile on top of us, laying sideways, curled up, or in any sort of strange position that they may find themselves. Then Trent and I put our arms around our sweet little girls and we pray. The children each take a turn praying for whatever they want. Abbey consistently prays for "Pappy, Paw-Paw, and Hoy (Troy)". She has also recently added "Maf-few church" (Matthew from church) to her list. Anne usually prays for her "best friend". Her best friend changes on a daily basis, but the list usually consists of "Allen, Edy, Jeanette, Delvin, and Leanne."

I am so very far from being a perfect parent. I think I become more aware of that every day. There are some days when I just feel so lazy and inadequate. Sometimes I don't feel like reading "Jimmy's Boa" for the 100th time or pretending to be a horse, cow, owl, or whatever animal Anne is stuck on that day. However, it is those times when I am most often struck with how short these years are that our children are little. That doesn't necessarily make it any easier when the children are refusing to nap and I know their little bodies need sleep, and I desperately need some caffeine and time with Jesus. But it does help to get me through.

Today I read these verses:

Hebrews 6:12 "We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised."

Galatians 6:9 "Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see."

So on the days that I feel lazy and weary, I think on these promises of God. I want to inherit what has been promised, I want to reap a harvest, I want to have faith. Praise God for his unending love. I have faith that my children will come to know the LORD. If I become lazy and weary in my work as their mother, I am not doing them or myself any favors. It is such a powerful reminder to me that I must continually draw MY strength from the Lord in order to pass it on to my children.

On a different note, the children and I were at Wal*Mart on Monday. As we were going along (Maggie in the Snugli and Anne and Abbey in the cart) Anne just started belting out at the top of her lungs "Jesus loves me". It really brought tears to my eyes. Anyone who would have heard her surely would have believed every word that she sang, she sang it with so much conviction. Of course, this did happen after one of her less-fine moments of disobedience. I told her she was not allowed to get out of the cart to walk, and when I turned my back for 5 seconds, what does she do? She attempts to climb out and falls with a huge thud onto the hard floor. Thankfully she was uninjured, but there was a woman looking at me in disgust as I gave Anne a lecture about obeying Mama and why it is important. Don't worry, I made sure she was Okay before I lectured her!