Backseat prayer

What better way to get back on the “writing a blog bandwagon” then to share what my daughter taught me last night. 


Never underestimate two things; 1. The power of our God and 2. A two year olds ability to understand God! 


On our Journey home from “Bible Power Hour”, my husband I were arguing…yes, I just admitted to arguing following church and arguing about something incredibly stupid ,like which car to take to the airport next week! I’m a very transparent person, I find the imperfections in people and myself to be what is most beautiful because it where we see the fingerprints of God at work. As I was saying, we were arguing and our precious 2 ½ year old daughter pipes up from the backseat and says; “Jesus, help mommy and daddy right now, amen.” My husband and I both stopped  and stared at each other. I was lost for words…our argument halted and we were both quiet the rest of the way home. 


I was instantly humbled, convicted, astounded and thankful all at once. I was humbled by the faith of my small child. I was convicted by the realization that she understood our arguments and doesn’t like them. I was astounded that she knew what to do in distress, who to go to and who was capable of “fixing” it and finally, I was thankful for the heart of my daughter and the gentle ways God gets our attention. 


My husband and I don’t usually fight, we argue... like kids cause we are still working out this marriage thing and we are both selfish and stubborn at times. We have yet to realize that to be selfless and look out for the other persons best interest, is the best decision 100% of the time. We will get there, maybe in another five years haha. In all seriousness when we argue, as silly as it is, I am keenly aware that our children are present and listening. However, while they are this young I like to use the excuse that they don’t understand and can’t become effected yet, clearly Ava Grace taught me different. Being right is not worth disturbing my child’s peace in the car or the home. I want my children to have one definitive thing stand out in their memories of childhood and that is that they were raised in a peaceful environment. The topic of peace is an entirely different post for another day, but there is a way to remain peaceful amidst total chaos. Peace isn’t  found in the atmosphere, peace is found in how we respond to the atmosphere and in God's presence in the midst of the chaos.


As of last night I set my heart and mind to never argue in front of them again. Arguing isn’t always necessarily a bad thing, its how you argue, so at times we will argue. However, I pray that when we do the Holy Spirit will bring to my mind the words of my daughter during her backseat prayer.