80% of the world’s evangelical Christians live in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Over the last 50 years, God’s church has grown exponentially in these areas.

These regions have tremendous mission sending potential to help bring the gospel to unreached peoples, but they currently send only 20% of the world’s cross-cultural missionaries!

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This infographic provides a visual score for seven data points ranked on a 0 to 100 scale. Faded icons show scores for other countries on the mobilization index. See below for actual scores and country-specific insights.

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As parents, we&rsquo;ve all probably had the experience of watching our child work through big feelings. Perhaps it&rsquo;s a tearful meltdown. An angry outburst. Or a moody sulking.&nbsp;

To us as adults, the circumstances triggering and surrounding these big feelings seem insignificant sometimes&mdash;perhaps even silly. But emotional displays like this are flashing indicator lights of something else going on beneath the surface, something that our children need our help navigating. Fear. Shame. Doubt. Anxiousness.&nbsp;

Navigating emotions takes practice&mdash;and as parents, one of our jobs is to equip our children with the tools they need to manage their feelings in a healthy way. What if we could teach our kids how to navigate their big feelings in a way that is grounded in Scripture and that also honors the way they were created?

One of the best gifts we can give our children (and even ourselves) is a biblical framework for handling emotions&mdash;one that also reflects how God created our very, real bodies to function. It&rsquo;s not easy. But here&rsquo;s just one simple practice I&rsquo;ve been working to cultivate in my own life and teach to my children, too.&nbsp;

Calming Your Mind with the Help of Your Body
As followers of Jesus, we believe Christ has the power to work in our circumstances and in our hearts. We believe prayer is powerful, that God hears us and that he invites us to come to him with our needs, worries, and hurts.

But sometimes, especially in emotionally charged situations, our feelings can get in the way&mdash;not because they&rsquo;re bad, but because when emotions are high, our body&rsquo;s nervous system starts to become dysregulated. This makes it harder for us to connect to others, or even to God.&nbsp;

By looking at how God designed our bodies to function, we discover tangible steps we can take to calm our bodies and help usher our minds and hearts into prayer. Thanks to modern neuroscience, we know that slow, deep breathing is a pathway to calming our brains and bodies. It slows our heart rate, lowers our blood pressure and calms our nervous system. It helps us stay grounded in the present, instead of being swept away by the emotions overtaking us. This then gives us the space to step back, become curious about the feelings we&rsquo;re experiencing, discover what they&rsquo;re trying to tell us, and reconnect to God and others around us.

We can help our children learn this way of breathing by repeating the saying: &ldquo;Smell the flowers; blow out the candles.&rdquo; This word picture helps them practice what it feels like to breathe deeply by filling their lungs with air and then releasing the air slowly by blowing out through their mouth.&nbsp;

The Practice of Breath Prayer
While deep breathing calms our brains and bodies, prayer calms our minds and souls by reaffirming the connection we have with our Father. Combining the two can be a simple yet effective tool for our children&mdash;and for us.&nbsp;

For example, the first verse of Psalm 23 can be turned into a simple breath prayer. Breathe in: &ldquo;The Lord is my shepherd.&rdquo; Breathe out: &ldquo;I have everything I need.&rdquo;&nbsp; You will need to help young children construct these prayers. Older kids can take ownership of this practice by selecting their own verses to use in breath prayer, those that speak specifically to their hearts.

Sometimes it feels silly or awkward at first to repeat these same words over and over while deeply breathing in and out. But when we do, we are simply capitalizing on how God created our bodies to work. The act of breathing deeply calms our nervous system, moving us out of the fight-or-flight response and helping us to feel more grounded and present.

After a minute or two of practicing breath prayer, I can usually feel myself begin to relax. Then, I&rsquo;m in a better position to meditate on the simple Scripture I&rsquo;ve chosen to repeat and let its truth sink into my heart.&nbsp;

Of course, this is not the end of the road. This tool is just the beginning. Once we feel more grounded and calm, we&rsquo;re better able to dig deeper, explore the root of the emotion we&rsquo;re experiencing, invite the Father to speak into it and discern our next step.

What Do My Kids Learn by Watching Me?
As a parent, I realize more and more every day just how much my children take their cues from me. How do I respond when I feel anxious? How do I handle disappointment, frustration or uncertainty?

Teaching my kids to navigate uncomfortable emotions starts with me knowing how to manage my own. It&rsquo;s a critical skill because if I&rsquo;m constantly consumed by big feelings and unable to work through uncomfortable emotions, it&rsquo;s easy to turn inward&mdash;and stay there. When this happens, I neglect the responsibility and privilege of discipling my children&rsquo;s hearts, and of pointing others toward Jesus.&nbsp;

Learning to manage my emotions doesn&rsquo;t mean I won&rsquo;t have hard days, or that I&rsquo;m a failure if I don&rsquo;t walk around &ldquo;happy&rdquo; all the time. Sweeping uncomfortable emotions under the rug does not serve our kids well. The answer isn&rsquo;t to suppress these emotions but rather to commit to the hard and sometimes messy work of reaching out and finding God&mdash;especially in the very moments when everything feels like it&rsquo;s falling apart.&nbsp;

And sometimes, the first step is as simple as a breath prayer.

Via Families

Breath Prayer: Helping Kids Manage Big Feelings

Breath Prayer: Helping Kids Manage Big Feelings

Bethany Leong