I walk into the room, and morning light spills soft and glowing across tiled floors and a rug of robin’s egg blue.  Pulling back a silky, chocolate comforter and shaking floral sheet, I watch crumbs of food smuggled into bed after hours, fly through the air, like dandelion seeds on a windy spring day.

“I’ll need to vacuum next.”  The decision is more a mindless observation than conscience decision, and I pull the sheets tightly down on the mattress and gather the pillows to her bed.

Placing the pillows and doll back on her bed, I begin to pray:

“Father, cover her with the wings of your love. Hedge her in and protect her from the world.  Move her past Bible stories and rules to a real relationship with You. Amen”

I go to the next bedroom and repeat the same actions all over again.

Moving to the kitchen, cleaning up breakfast dishes:

“Thank you for this sink of dirty dishes, Father God.  Use this food to strengthen their body to do your work.  Give them a sound mind and guide them into having the mind of Christ to learn in school today and make good decisions.”

This is how it goes, praying for each child and my husband as I clean up, make beds, iron clothes and navigate through my day.  I pray early in the morning with a book from Stormie Omartian, and then I pray through out the day for my family.

“Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still.” E.M. Bounds

And my prayers, spoken only for the Lord to hear, are like the dandelion seeds,  lifted up on the wind of a whisper and are immediately in His presence.

Stepfamilies have similar but different dynamics than that of an unbroken birth family.  But, no matter what kind of family, prayer is the powerful and important dynamic each family must have as a daily activity.

I have verses marked throughout my Bible, highlighted in green and pink, with the names of each of our children and stepchildren written beside verses that I have been praying for them for years.

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1Thessaloians 5:16-18 NIV)

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Diane W. Bailey

Diane W. Bailey is the founder of The Consilium – an online community of wisdom and purpose for women over 45 years of age. She is a published author. Her books include String of Pearls – From Tears to Treasure, and 30 Days To A Better Stepfamily. She creates her own line of precious metals bracelets. Diane lives in the Deep South with her husband Doc. Together they have created a stepfamily, each having two stepchildren and two birth children, and share three grandchildren, one black lab named Charlie and one long haired tabby cat named Lil Girl. Diane’s passion is to encourage women to be all God has created them to be by pressing past fear and daring to live life as an adventure. Some of her life adventures include traveling to Israel, speaking, entrepreneurship and backyard farming with Doc. She loves Gumbo, fried shrimp and seeing all sunsets across water.

Latest posts by Diane W. Bailey (see all)

• What God Can Do with A Shattered Heart - September 5, 2022
• When It Is Time to Bring Your Ship Ashore - January 2, 2018
• Art Of Hospitality – How to Love Others As Ourselves - November 27, 2017

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