Finding Time for Family Prayer

For many families, mornings are already hectic, even without the need to grab everyone for family prayer. Our family was no different. How could we make the morning efficient and still get in a few crucial moments to pray together?

Mornings in our home were often rushed and chaotic. We hurried to eat breakfast, get dressed, brush teeth, fix hair (and with four daughters, this morning step is especially time consuming), pack lunches, and gather everything needed for the day before we rushed quickly out the door for school and work. Each morning left me feeling frazzled and exhausted after our race against time.

One morning my oldest daughter pleaded with me in desperation, "Mom, please stop rushing me – it's stressing me out!" I wanted to make our mornings calm, but I didn't know what to do differently.

On the Sunday after that exchange, a challenge was presented during our Sunday School lesson: make time for our morning prayers. I reviewed our manic morning routine. Though praying at night is something we do without hesitation, our morning prayers were hit and miss. How could we add consistent prayer to our already hectic mornings?

We had tried to use our breakfast prayer as our family morning prayer time, but not all of our family was able to gather together for breakfast each morning. I didn't know what we could do differently short of waking the family earlier, which hadn't been successful in the past. I knew I needed to find the answer that would work best for our family. I finally realized I needed to prepare and plan ahead.

Now our Saturday chores include packing lunches and preparing breakfasts for the upcoming week. We wash and dry fruit and vegetables; slice cheese; count out crackers, pretzels, and cookies; and place all of the servings into baggies. Each child places his or her lunch items into a labeled grocery bag and places it in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator. This preparation cuts out much of the early day scurrying.

Then on Saturday evenings, I hard-boil eggs and bake muffins for the week's breakfasts. Easy-to-grab breakfasts have made our routine more streamlined; even if someone wakes up late, they can grab a good breakfast and eat on-the-go.

We now have peaceful mornings, and the kids, kindergartener included, delight in their new responsibilities. By preparing ahead we now have a calm morning routine that allows ample time for thoughtful, meaningful, sincere family prayer.

by Tanya Headrick, LDS Living, January/February 2010. 
Photo by Heriberto Herrera/sxc.hu.