As a parent, one of the most common things I find myself saying, other than, “Make smart choices!” is this: “Call me when you get there, and let me know if you end up going somewhere else.”

In other words: “Check in! I want to know where you’re at!”

My kids nod and head out the door. Often—especially on road trips—I wait by my phone with slight unease until I get the text: “I’ve made it safely.” 

Sometimes they forget, which is hard on a mama!

In my relationship with my children, I often find myself thinking of my own parent/child relationship with God and applying a lot of these life lessons to my faith life.

This got me thinking: Maybe God would like us to check in more often? Maybe, instead of only coming to him with our highest highs and lowest lows, we should be checking in far more often with what we consider to be the mundane details of day-to-day life. Because just like an earthly parent, he’s interested in all that stuff. Maybe it’s as simple as saying: “Dear Father, here is where I’m at today. Lead me where you would have me go.”

Our heavenly Father LOVES it when we pray and lean on him. This dependency makes us spiritually strong so we are better able to withstand the attacks of the devil when they come—and they WILL come—further down the road.

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Colossians 4:2).