Get Low

Guest Author: Kaylie Hodges

We remind our kids constantly that they don’t have to have their heads bowed and eyes closed to pray. We openly try to model all sorts of prayer postures to encourage constant praying…

Lord, so help me, if another kid screams in this house…

Okay, so I don’t always do it well. In fact, patience can be a little bit of a problem when it comes to my little bits. You too?

It seems as soon as I get one glass of spilled milk cleaned up, another gets tipped over. Now that is worth crying about.

“I beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4: 1-3

More often than not, that kind of peace surpasses my understanding.

But when I beg enlightenment on how to find gentleness, patience, peace and love under my rowdy roof, my eye drifts to the same word over and over… lowliness.

Humility.

A bowed posture.

My dejected sigh echoed in the bathroom now free of rugs that once contained the sound. The sweet girl with pigtails that I nicknamed “my humility” had another accident right in the front of the potty… yet again.

I was, “this close” to exploding when my humility crouched down and hugged me, “I sowwy mommy,” she said gently. With tears in my eyes, my frustration gave way, and we bent down to clean up together.

Right there on that wet floor, understanding bent down to hug me. Get low.

Get low and tie shoes.

Get low and zip jackets.

Get low and clean the mess.

Get low to get a closer look at the coloring page.

Get low on the floor to admire the lego castle.

We get low. The bend to serve our children is offered up as a bow before our God in worship-- an act of humility, praise for these sweet gifts we have been given.

Our lowliness invites grace to fill up the space with gentleness, peace, patience and the ability to walk worthy of the precious gifts we have been given.

Today, as we feel our knees crack as we lower to the ground to serve our children let’s use that as a bow before our God in an offering of prayer. As we feel the sigh escape our lips, let us offer that breath as a plead for grace according to the measure of the gifts right in front of us.

Key Verse:
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves. Philippians 2:3

Prayer: 
Jesus, today help us to humble ourselves, getting low to serve our families. Lord help us to humble our hearts, getting low before you in worship. Fill us with grace to according to the abundance of gifts you have given us. In Your Name, Amen


Follow Kaylie at her personal blog at www.kayliehodges.com

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