*This post is a favorite of mine. I teared up as I prayed it today. I need it today as much or more than I needed it when I first wrote it.

It is summer, Lord. I love the season of summer. I see your creativity and love all over summer. The taste of fresh picked strawberries. Fire flies that dance in the dark. Flowers in bloom. The sun that warms the earth. Picnics in the park. Swimming, ice cream, and fireworks. There’s joy at every turn. Thank you for that.

The long days of summer spectacular are filled with blessings and require more patience from those of us who are parents. The days are full, the hours seemingly endless and yet, I know that the weeks will fly. So Lord, please grant me an abundance of patience to coordinate with the fabulous joy. I don’t want to inhibit joy and yet I know there are days that I will feel like I am not enough. I want to guard against the frustration and weariness that may try to steal joy.  Please help me get time with you. Get me up early. Help me to see you and sense you at every moment – when I am overwhelmed, when I need space, and when my cup is so full that I can hardly contain it. Walk with me this summer Lord, as I walk with my kids through full days.

Could you teach us all this summer how to appreciate each other? Remind us how to recognize the good in each other. Help us to remember that gratefulness is fuel for joy in every circumstance. Capture my children’s hearts with the experiences they have this summer. Show them yourself as they create, read and enjoy the world you have made. I pray they may know you better by the time school starts.

I pray the same for me, God. I pray that I might know you better by the time fall comes around again. I pray that I might see you in their laughter, in their delight in the world you have made. You created the the sun to coax flowers to erupt in bloom and I pray that you would do the same to my heart – that it would blossom with love that comes from you. I ask that you would use me to show the kids your love. I pray that I would be expectant and yet also have reasonable expectations. I pray for patience. Lots of it. I pray that I would know when we need structure and when we need to have an impromptu water balloon fight.

You give us the gift of time with the ones you have given us. I pray I would not squander it or wish it away. I want to be present. I want to be fun and have fun with my kids. There are still things that will need to be done and I ask that you would help me find a balance. Help me to remember to be consistent. Help me to praise. Help me to be kind. Help me to choose joy when I feel like I want to climb the walls. Remind me Lord that its okay to take time for me so that I might recharge my batteries.

Help me to give summer all that I have and may my heart be filled because of it. Help me to be free to give. Help me not to hold back or worry about saving something for myself. Help me to trust that God will fill in the places that run empty and bridge the gaps that I can’t see or neglect.

Lord, honestly, I am excited and yet a bit overwhelmed at the thought of a full summer. I know you can meet me there. Thank you. Thank you for being all that I need to mother these babies well. Thank you for the gifts that await us in the sun-kissed weeks ahead. I pray we would unwrap each day with expectant hearts. Go before us Lord. I give these weeks to you.

Amen.