Hold it Up

From the very first moment he could pay attention to his surroundings, my son has been obsessed with vehicles of all shapes and sizes and types. 
When we lived in Texas, the town we were in wasn't a railroad hub so the trains that went through were very small, maybe five or six cars. Middle Tennessee is a whole different ballgame. Trains go through with over a hundred cars and you have to wait a while if you get stuck at the crossing.
But, there are also more bridges to go over and under the tracks, too. Which led to a game we started playing when the kids were smaller.

As we approached a bridge to go under the tracks, and a train was going across at the same time, I'd yell "Quick! Hold up the roof so the train doesn't crush us!" And we'd all stick our hands in the air (one of mine would stay on the wheel, of course) and hold up the top of our car through the underpass. It's silly. We all knew that train wasn't going to hurt us because of the bridge holding it up much higher than the top of our car reached. But it still brought out giggles.
Here we are years later, and my son, now five-and-a-half, reminded me to hold up the roof the other day as we drove under a train. Who am I to argue?
But it got me thinking. Because even though I'm not really holding up the train, I am holding up quite a bit of other stuff. Like my children's imaginations. And expectations. And holding them up in prayer to my Lord every day, that I can raise them to always love Him most. And holding up others in prayer.
Just like the way my car doesn't reach the bottom of the bridge ... and my kids' hands didn't actually reach the roof of our car ... it sometimes feels like all those prayers I hold up don't reach as high as they need to. When God is silent for a long time. Or when I get a resounding "no."
Good news. They are getting there. Because just like the train has a bridge, we have one, too. And Jesus makes sure our prayers get where they're going. Even if it doesn't feel like it. So, with my son reminding me to hold up the roof when driving under a train, I can now use it as another reminder. To keep holding up those I love in prayers. Knowing everything will get where it needs to go.
Did you ever play silly games in the car with your children? Do any of them now remind you of even more important facts?