Dear Jesus

Confession: Andrew have never really prayed before eating our meals.

Not because we don't want to that God for all he's given us. I never wanted praying before a meal to become "something we just did" but more "something meaningful we did".

So, we didn't pray. Before meals, that is.

Enter Cooper.

It is probably no surprise to you how much Andrew and I love Cooper. We have fun with him, think he's cute, and most of my posts, it seems, are dedicated to him. (Maybe that's something I need to work on...give you guys some variety).

Anyhow, just as much as we love Cooper, we desire for him to grown into a man that LOVES THE LORD with his whole heart, mind, and soul. We desire for him to be a man that TRUSTS THE LORD with every bit of his being. We desire for him to have a marriage and family ROOTED IN GOD'S WORD, GOD'S LOVE, AND GOD'S TRUTH. We know that part of raising a child that grows into that kind of man requires a lot of intentional spirit training. So, we read the Bible, we say prayers before bed, we talk to him about God, we tell him which of his actions makes God happy and sad, we go to church, and we try our best to set a good example.

One day it hit both Andrew and I that we need to start praying before we eat our meals. We were in different states at the time of this realization, which just show me how God continues to work in mine and Andrews hearts. Andrew brought it up during one of our phone conversations and I said, "That's funny...I was convicted of the same thing!" Praying before our meals is one of the best ways that we can teach Cooper to pray. So, since we've been in Ohio, we have been praying before our meals.

We've taught Cooper to fold his hand and bow his head, but he hates doing those things.

So, we started having him say the prayer.

And it is my current favorite thing. Hearing my sweet boy talk to God is awesome.