Moments for the Heart

Calling all parents; Biological, Adoptive, Step, Grand, and all those who choose to stand in the place of those who are absent. Never has there been a time where our children desperately need our prayer. This world is slowly losing its grasp with the past.

More and more things are becoming acceptable that were taboo when we were growing up. More and more things are becoming offensive that was normal life once upon a time. Today is the day we need to fall on our knees and join together and pray for our children.

Of course, life is busy. We find ourselves with an endless “to-do” list that never seems to get completed. From the time we wake up in the morning until the time we lay our head back down there is always something to do. Our jobs, our kid’s extra-curricular activities, errands that need run, and hopefully a visit to church on some days. We can be so preoccupied moving at light speed that we can forget the most important thing right in front of us; our kids. We may be so busy raising them that we forget to raise them right. This begins with prayer.

For Growth

Kenny Chesney reminds us not to blink. If we blink, life passes us by. One day our child is an infant lying in a bassinet, the next they are walking the stage accepting their High School Diploma. In the moments that have slipped away, I am sure there were many moments where you were unsure whether your baby was going to make it. We all have had those concerns. We all HAVE those concerns now. So, we need to be in prayer for our kids; for their growth, their decision making, and for their Christian walk.

In School

As they make their way through the academic process, there are many choices they must make, and many circumstances they will face. In another blog, I’ve written about one of these circumstances, bullying. There have been a couple of instances within the school district my kids attend. One was concerning a fourth grader calling another fourth grader names. The other was much more serious. Unfortunately, it ended with a young man taking his life.

When it comes to bullying, our kids have a choice. Follow the crowd and join in, or to say something.

Not only do we need to pray for them to choose to have a loving spirit toward everyone, our prayers should involve their attitude toward their education. As I look back on my schooling, one regret I have is not trying harder. I was not a bad student, but I know in my heart I could have done more.

This is why the prayer for my kids is for them to have a desire to do their best, to want to try their hardest, and to have a hunger to learn. A little redundant, yes, but it is what I feel that I need to pray. I don’t want them to have the same regrets, so I will continue to pray daily for their schooling.

In Life

Now that we have blinked, and our children are now looking forward to post High School life and making adult decisions, we need to pray that all that we have attempted to instill within them will be reflected in the way they choose to walk. It is never too early to begin to pray for our children’s future. That being said, know that it’s never too late to begin to pray for our child’s future.

It is true that the foundation has been laid by this point. All that your child has experienced the last 18 years; all the successes, all the failures, all the joys, and all the heartaches have grown your son or daughter into the man or woman they are today. And your prayers through those times has hopefully guided them through the hard times. And your prayer will continue to guide them through their twenties, getting married, and eventually raising kids of their own.

Even if at times it seems like you are praying through a ceiling of brass, know that God hears. Just remember your son or daughter has to figure life out on their own. God has a plan for them. While your prayers help guide them, understand that your specific prayers may not be answered the way you would like them. Your child may have to endure hardship. But know that trial will help grow them into the man or woman God has intended them to be.

Final Thoughts

Praying for our children is a given. If they are miles away, or in the next room, we need to be lifting them up to the Lord. There is nothing we can say or do that will ultimately impact their walk. It’s only the guidance of the Holy Spirit, brought on through the prayers of parents and parental figures, that can a truly impact the path they choose.

Even today, as they wander through a fifth-grade hallway or the High School quad, our prayers are needed. You may think that they are too young to have to deal with the problems that a Jr. or High School student may face, but you are wrong. My daughter had to deal with a bully in her grade. It was disheartening to receive that letter. And it was a kick in the gut to hear a Jr. High student felt the desperation enough to take his own life due to the circumstances he was facing.

I have stated before; we need to be more involved in our children’s lives. Not only through prayer, but actively with questions, support, and even snooping when necessary. If we are more aware of what makes our children tick, then we can be more targeted in our prayers.

Whether they are faced with the challenges of a bully, or worse being a bully, our prayers can open the door for God to work in their lives. They can help them to make the decisions they need to better their lives, better those around them, and give them a future where they can have children of their own to lift up in prayer the way you have lifted them up.

*Photo by Naassom Azevedo on Unsplash