“Can you please help me, Mom?”

My six-year-old son asked me this when he was working on a new LEGO building bricks set and got stuck on a step in the directions.

Have you ever walked through a familiar room in the dark? It is probably a room you would not think twice about walking through during the day. But suddenly, when you walk through it in the dark, it can become an ominous obstacle course with the lights off. Take your living room, for example. The reality of the room is not necessarily any different in its dark state. The furniture is still in the same place, the same basket of toys or books is still right in the middle of the room where you left it, your pair of shoes is still next to the couch, and your bag from work is still by the front door. Once the lights are off, the room doesn’t change, but your perception of it does. It makes you second-guess every step you take.

What burdens are you carrying right now?

Are you . . .

Anxious?

Tired?

Uncertain?

As a new mother, I’ve been struggling to figure out a spiritual routine for my daughter and our family. We say prayers at bedtime and read some books that are Christ-focused, but sometimes I feel lost when I think about teaching her about Jesus as she continues to grow.

This school year, my family is transitioning to having a child in school all day. My oldest starts kindergarten and is anxiously waiting to find out what being at school “all day” is all about. We recently visited with his kindergarten, teacher and his big concerns were finding out how to know what was being served in the cafeteria for lunch each day and if they would be doing painting and art projects in kindergarten.

My son called to me in a stressed and urgent tone, “Mom! I need a big eraser!”

Prayer is a unique opportunity that we are given to talk directly with God. How cool! The Creator of the universe, the one that spoke the stars into the sky and fish into the sea, wants to hear your words. Your God, the one who with a single word caused the sun to stand still, a storm to cease, and the sea to separate, wants to listen to your words.

You open your phone and scroll past another devastating news story. A friend posts about the death of someone they loved. You open your email to be met with a long list of messages that need your response. You glance at the texts sitting unanswered on your phone and decide that those will need to wait a little longer.

“You have to be in charge, FOREVER!” This was my five-year-old’s response after I had been teasing him that I was going to take a break from being in charge.

“Have you talked about current events with your kids?”

I posted a poll asking this question on Instagram a few days after the initial reports of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The results were more split than I anticipated.