A Momma's Prayer

 

Prayer changes things.

Chances are you've heard that before. Whether or not you believe it is another question. I do. Prayer is a powerful thing. As women, we face many challenges. We carry a lot of responsibility. We shoulder heavy burdens. Other people lean on us. A lot. While that can feel overwhelming at times, it is also such a privilege that we are trusted enough to handle it all. We should not take lightly that we are the ones entrusted with the care of so many things and people within our sphere of influence.

• Our family
• Our jobs
• Our friends
• Our homes
• Our finances
• Our children

It's a lot, isn't it?

Recently, my children have been heavy on my heart. Some of you are young mothers. You have just started growing your family. Your babies are actual babies. Your first child was born the year my son graduated high school or my daughter got married. My babies are grown, but you're just starting out in this journey called motherhood. I've been there. I remember like it was yesterday when I had two carseats in the back of my van, leaving my son at baseball practice while I ran my daughter to gymnastics, and doing pick up and drop off at three different schools with a toddler in tow. 

I began my new role as "mommy" 28 years ago. I have added three other members to our club since then. It's been a roller coaster of a ride through the toddler and teenage years (both of which were far less scary than I had been led to believe), and the ride continues into adulthood. Let me tell you one thing, as a seasoned mom of four.

The worrying doesn't stop.

We will always be concerned about our children. There are so many things to consume our thoughts and anxiously wonder about out.

• The choices they make
• The consequences they face
• Where they will live
• Who they will love
• Their faith walk
• Their health

But guess what? Worrying can not add a single hour to our lives (Matthew 6:27), so what are we doing? Worrying won't change the future. All it does is steal our peace from today. We therefore have to find a way to let those thoughts go. So how do we do that?

Pray.

When they are growing, we have the ability to mold and train them. We can teach them about the love of Jesus, bring them to Sunday School, do nightly devotions, and pray daily with and for them. We can model a life of service and love like Christ. We can do all the things. But after we have done all we can do, the rest is in the Lord's hands. And theirs.

They now have to make the choice to continue what they've been taught. Or not. When they were growing up, you had control over where they went and who they went with. Now the choices are theirs to make. They must live out the life you began for them. That's where it gets concerning. Because, will they?

• Make good choices
• Follow God
• Be strong
• Have integrity
• Serve others

Will they live and love like Jesus?

We have dreams for our children. We have ideas of how we wish their lives would look and how they will turn out. After all our hard work raising them, we want some sort of guarantee they'll turn out ok, don't we? Come on now. If you planted an apple tree in your yard and tended it for 18 years of your life, wouldn't you want it to come out healthy and fruitful? If you even just spent a few hours baking a cake from scratch, wouldn't you want it to turn out perfect and delicious? If you went to college, wouldn't you want that to lead to a successful and lucrative career after graduation? Anything you put your hard work, time, and money into, wouldn't you want a good return on your investment? If you were honest, your answer would be yes. So why is it different with a child you raised? They are certainly more important than any job, garden, or project, so of course you would. 

They are part of you.

But they are not you. So we can mold them, and we can try to make them anything we wish them to be. We can model, preach, and teach. We can be the best possible parents we can be, but at the end of the day, we can't live their lives for them. That's up to them. All we can do when they step out that door is pray. And then pray some more. They won't always make the right choices. They won't always choose the right people. They won't always make the same decisions we would make, or live the life we would wish for them. But sometimes they will. And most times they do. But those times when our hearts ache because they don't, and we know in our heart of hearts they will get hurt because of those choices, just remember that prayer works. When we feel powerless, we aren't, because we can pray, and that is a superpower no one can ever take away from us. 

• It's forever
• It's powerful
• It's effective
• It's vital 

This is where I am at. I have four wonderful children. I wasn't the perfect mom, but I do believe I gave them a good childhood with a strong foundation of love and faith. My children are grown, but they still need guidance. They may not come to me for that guidance, but they know Who to go to in the quiet moments, the raging storms, and the forks in the road. 

And all the while, I'll be praying. 

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I've got them covered, and knowing that gives us all comfort. So today, pray over your kids. We may not know what the future holds for them, but we can know Who holds the future, and when we do, we can live happily ever after, after. After we don't make their choices for them anymore, and all we can do is pray. 

Rejoice always, pray continually, 

give thanks in all circumstances; 

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18