With all this time at home, I am getting to hear my kids more. They are really funny and insightful. We have conflict and we lose our patience, but overall we enjoy being together. The time around the table lasts longer and even lunchtime is included now. My husband told me the other day that we prepare 27 meals a day! Easy math I know, but I had not taken the time to calculate it. This explains why it seems we run out of food so fast and why I am a fan of paper plates. Paper napkins have been hard to find these days, so we have been using up all of our leftover party napkins. Last night our napkins said, “Give Thanks” and I smiled. I am thankful for these closed in days and pray for the circumstances that have us here often.

When school doors were still open, we would be gone to track meets a couple of nights a week. While I loved watching the kids run, it meant we were not all together. They can last really late and the younger kids needed their sleep. One thing I like about sports teams is how they teach you to work together for a common goal. You also can make lasting relationships. With sports being cancelled, I had a thought. Family has not been cancelled and we are definitely a team. We are all working together for a common goal, to know and live loved by God. Many relationships come and go, but a family is lasting. I can think of no other greater investment of our time.

So, as our doors are closed to much of the outside world, lets spend time team building inside. Perhaps your family is all grown up; pick up the phone often or set up zoom meetings to see each other’s faces. Some of our distractions have been cancelled and we have been given time back. It is up to us to decide what our team will look like when our doors open again. Will we have built stronger relationships as a team? Will our hearts be better for all the practice we have been given to love? I am praying for families to be reset into kingdom minded, loving teams.

If you need help, ask Him. Begin your day with your Bible open and truly turn your house into a house of prayer. Think of your role as a coach and spend time asking how each team member feels and expresses love. You might have missed something. I do not know how long this season will last, but I do know the work done in this season will matter for a lifetime. With Him, we will win!

*The picture was taken when the kids met #7 for the first time. I had shirts made with their birth order printed on them. That was 6 years ago:)