Extra Effort

     For the first nine years of our marriage, my husband and I were childless; therefore, we spent most of our time together. As a traveling evangelist and then as a pastor, our days were filled with church activities that we could accomplish together. We loved being able to spend so much time together, but at the same time had such an innate longing to start a family.

     After nine long years, God heard our plea and answered our prayers with a wonderful son and nine years later, He gave us a second precious son. Immediately I came to realize how drastically our schedules would change. No longer was I able to jump in the car and follow along my husband’s daily routine at a moment’s notice. A sweet baby needed my time and attention.

     This abrupt change in my time schedule was most noted in my daily prayer and devotional time. If it was going to happen, it certainly required extra effort on my part. I especially remember the toddler stage as I knelt to pray, and my son was clambering on my back begging for my attention. It would have been easy to quit praying and play with my son, but I determined that even though it was more difficult to pray, it was also setting an example for my children. Bible reading was often interrupted, but the extra effort to concentrate was rewarding.