In the Presence of Prayer and Painting: DIY Children's Activity
Present, to be present is to be soaked in a particular moment without the ongoing distractions of everything else around us. There have been many occasions in motherhood where I would start an activity with my daughter and easily get distracted. Sometimes those distractions were taking a phone call that could have waited, scrolling on social media randomly, or simply attending to something in the house that needed to be cleaned. Just as my children want me present with them, that is how much the Lord wants to be present with us as His children.
As a parent, I am constantly adjusting time to spend with the Lord. Raising children comes with prioritizing your time for things that are most important to your heart. During my first year of motherhood, I used to believe that every single moment with the Lord had to be quiet. I would be at war with myself about getting up in the morning before everyone else in the house. Yet through the overnight hours of breastfeeding, early mornings did not always work in my schedule.
I have learned how to invite God into our everyday space alone and with my children. As we ended our week one Friday—-I grabbed our paint, a big box from our garage that we all sat in, and put on worship music on the Bluetooth speaker.
It was a time to pray with my children, over my children, and connect with Jesus while creating with my kids. We call this one, Worship + Paint In A Box.
Tip #1 - Find A Nice Sized Box
I pulled out the box that our basketball goal was boxed in. My husband is always adding and tossing out boxes in our garage. As a full-time stay-at-home parent, I always find value in boxes and anything that I can create something out of.
Tip #2 - Grab Paint & Paint Brushes
We love to use non-toxic Crayola paint from our local stores like Target, Walmart, or Dollar Tree. There is other different non-toxic children's paint brand you can also find there.
Tip #3 - Turn on Your Favorite Worship Music
I loved being able to invite my children into worship time with Jesus. As I know they are still young, it amazes me to hear the lyrics of the songs my toddler grabs hold to. I no longer get caught up in not always having enough morning quiet time with the Lord. When my days are not so quiet while attending to my children, I have grown to invite Jesus, His word, and worship into our weekly space.
