JellyBean Prayer.

** Yesterday's "Worth the Fight" post is still on the editing floor and in process. Typically, I write pretty stream of consiousness and don't do much with the proofreading or editing, per se. But, when I re-read yesterday's post, I don't feel like I was getting out exactly what I was trying to say, so I'm still working on it. My basic point was that our marriages are worth fighting for, and Satan will do everything he can to destroy them, and do you ever stop to think that we are given our children just for a brief season but our spouses for a lifetime - so we should be doing some heavy duty investing and that no matter or pasts or our baggage, Jesus is all about redemption and restoration and bringing beauty out of the ashes of our pasts - or our present's for that matter - and He wants to do a NEW thing, an amazing thing within each of our marriages and relationships so that we grow and thrive and prosper and are real and raw and madly in love with each other for as long as we both shall live. *whew.* So, yeah, that's basically what I'm working on. In a really run-on nutshell.

Source: thehillsidehome.blogspot.com via Kaya on Pinterest

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In the meantime, seeing as how Easter is around the corner - a little earlier this year, by the way... I wanted to share a fabulous Lent idea (of sorts) that we can do with our kids leading up to April 8th.

I believer this idea originated with my good friend, Shannon, and then went viral over facebook via my friend Wendy. So, the kudos goes completely to them, but I thought I would share it over here for anyone with kidlets.

On Ash Wednesday - which is tomorrow by the way, but you could do it whenever you feel like it really - set out a glass jar for each child with a small copy of the jellybean prayer taped to it. (The prayer is below - highlighted in bold). Determine a behavior to go with each jellybean color (corresponding with the prayer), and each day the kids can earn a jellybean of any color they followed through on.....but they can't eat any of the candy until Easter.

Thus, the Lent idea.

And here's the really cool part of the project. The kids cannot earn any white jellybeans, as they represent the Grace of Christ, which is a gift not earned ourselves. On Easter morning, the kids will wake up to find their jars filled up to the top where they were still empty (lacking) with white jellybeans (God's grace).

How cool is THAT?!!!
What a rockin' visual.
I love it.

Here are the ideas given for how to interpret each color.
Make up your own ideas based on the ages and needs of your own hoolies.

~ Red is for the blood Christ gave.
Each morning, choose something to sacrifice that day to earn the red jellybean.
It has to be something they would have had the opportunity to have or do on that day.

~ Green is for the palm's cool shade.
Green jellybeans can be earned for good deeds.
It was a good deed to provide a shade for Jesus with the palm.

~ Yellow is for God's light so bright.
Yellow jellybeans can be earned for sharing God's light through kindness to others.

~ Orange is for prayers at twilight.
Orange jellybeans can be earned for attentive behavior during bedtime prayer, family devotions, or nighttime Bible stories.

~ Black is for sweet rest at night.
These can be earned for going to bed obedient and good.
You could use blue if your kids aren't fans of the licorice flavor.

~ White is for the grace of Christ.
As mentioned above, these cannot be earned.

~ Purple is for His days of sorrow.
These can be earned through apologizing to anyone we hurt with our words or deeds that day.

~ Pink is for each new tomorrow.
Pink jellybeans can be earned when they forgive those who apologized to them for hurtful behavior.

And the rest of the poem reads:
And a handful of jellybeans -
Colorful and sweet,
Is a prayer, a promise -
A loved one's treat!
Happy Resurrection Day!

Go HERE to get more ideas and free jellybean prayer printables!