Beauty

That they would catch a glimpse of the beauty God sees in them.

The created-into-them beauty, the beauty from being made in his own image, the beauty of the hope and potential in them.

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Now that my little one is napping less, I have to re-adjust my schedule, and this is one of the things that I'm not going to pressure myself to do regularly.  I will still post here once in a while, but not three times weekly like I was.  Keep praying!

Fruit of the Spirit

I want my kids to live lives that display the Fruit of the Spirit.  To be children who learn to be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, gentle, faithful, good, and self-cotntrolled.  To become adults, in the long run, who have been practicing these things for as long as they can remember.

Lord; this is your work.  I pray you'd grow these in my child. 

I know only the Spirit can develop those in them, but as a parent, I can be the gardener that provides the proper soil, light and water to ensure optimal growing circumstances. 

I pray for wisdom to provide that, and for your Spirit to work in me to grow those so I can be a great model of what it should look like.

Growing Up

Last night I heard a little girl tell me proudly how old she was now after her recent birthday.  I also asked if she was the same age as another girl, and the answer was an emphatic "No! She's still five!" even when her mom confirmed that, yes, they did both just finish Kindergarten.

Growing older is so important to young kids, and rightly so; I pray that we make sure they grow up slow enough, have time to really just be kids, and aren't exposed to things too old for them too soon.

Summer Protection

Lord, as our kids are on holidays from school and doing different summertime activities, I pray you'd protect them from the injuries and illnesses and sunburns that summer sometimes brings.  Keep them guarded and safe; give us parents eyes to see any dangers.

Allowing Failure

I don't like when my daughter has to face the consequences of her actions.  I want to protect her from having to miss out on fun stuff, and don't want her to mope around.  At the same time, when she knows the consequences and still chooses to do what will bring about those consequences, the best thing we can do as parents is stay strong and make her face them.  Along with learning to make right choices, even when it's tough, she'll learn that we are trustworthy and will stand by what we say.  It's important to for kids to know that their parents are reliable.

There's a prayer in there somewhere; it might be for me more than her...

Scripture

So many times in Scripture you read the words, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says..."  My prayer today is that our children will read Scripture, love Scripture, and memorize Scripture, so that when any situation comes up, they will be able to say with confidence, "Well, this is what God says about that..."

Marriages

Yesterday my in-laws celebrated 41 years of marriage.  Last week, my former in-laws (I'm working on telling my story here) celebrated 51 years.  Last month, my parents celebrated their 44th anniversary.

And so today, I pray for the future marriages of each of my children, nieces, nephews and sponsored children.  Lord, give them a healthy view of themselves and the patience to wait for the one who will love them they way you designed.  May they keep themselves pure both for themselves and for their future spouse.  May they see us, their parents, modelling a healthy marriage, showing love to each other and handling disagreements in healthy ways.  Protect them from the messages in today's culture that marriage is not important; help us send a stronger message that it is.

Bless them, Lord with wonderful thriving marriages and children of their own.

Camp

Today we head out to our favorite camp for Family Camp.  I pray that all my children have the opportunity to go to a camp geared for kids their age, where they can enjoy creation, wholesome fun, and hear the Gospel in a way they can understand it.  If they don't have the chance for a week at camp, then I pray they would at least have a chance to experience you this summer in ways that they don't throughout the year.

Finishing Well

Today is the last day of school, and while the tests have all been written and the report cards completed, they still have this one day to finish well.  My prayer today, Lord Jesus, is that each one of my children and those in their schools would leave good last impressions on their classmates and teachers.  May they choose to treat each other well, and bite back thoughtless comments.  May they all go home today with a smile on their faces because someone was kind rather than rude, because they were smiled at rather than pushed or ignored.  May they go into summer with hopeful thoughts about school next year, not just relieved that they get a break from it.

Craving & Passionate Clinging

As I've mentioned before, I pray through the Prayer Calendar for Mothers from Inspired to Action.  It has 30 items, and can be used for each of the days of the month, but as I don't have the same weekend and weekday routines, I just go one by one, disregarding the dates.  That's why this week, I was praying #12 on the list, 'A Passion for God.'  I've prayed through this list 3 full times and am on the fourth go-round, but this struck me deeper this time; the words stuck in my head and heart.

"Lord, please instill in my children a soul with a craving for You, a heart that clings passionately to You.  Ps. 63:8"

A soul that craves You.

A heart that clings passionately to You.

Craving.  Clinging passionately.

This is my prayer today, and everyday!  When praying that my children will be generous, courageous, kind and responsible, it all stems from wanting them to have this passion for God.  I pray that all those other good things are the results of true salvation, a love for the Lord, and the desire to live their faith.

Craving & clinging passionately to Jesus.

Amen.

Prayer

When something bad happens to my child, Lord, I pray that their first response is to talk to you about it.  When something good happens to my child, I pray their first response is to talk to you about it.  When they hear of others with needs, I pray their first response is to talk to you about it.  When they wake, when they eat, when they go to bed, I pray they would first turn to you and talk to you.

May prayer be important to them, may they learn to pray continually, and may they learn to love you through it.

Sensitivity to the Needs of Others

Lord, may my children develop a sensitivity to the needs of those around them, and the needs of people far away.  May they not grow up desensitized by news accounts of wars or famines, but may they understand through what they hear that people are suffering and may it cause them to have compassion, pray, and want to help.

Bring People Alongside

Lord, I pray that you would bring people alongside each of these children to teach them what you require, both so they have no excuse, and so they have opportunity to choose you and follow you.

May they learn who you are and what your dream is for them and what you require of us.

Transformed

Lord, today I pray for these children what is written in 2 Corinthians 3:18, that they "with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

May they, day-to-day in all the small things, make choices to look to you and may they be transformed into children who are unmistakably your sons and daughters.

When people look at my son, they can tell he is ours.  When people look at me, I want them to be able to tell I am yours.

Rejoicing that they are mine!

Rejoice in your children today - Paul writes to the Philippians "I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy..." Our children are always on our minds, but often (especially as they get older!) it's concerns for this issue or that attitude that we have in our thoughts.  Today, let's simply thank God for them and rejoice that they are ours, issues, attitudes and all!

Health

It hurts to see a child hurting.  I pray for health for my children, for bodies free from disease, infection, and illness.  May they not be prone to accidents and breaks.  Protect them from injury, and may they grow strong and healthy.

Speak Your Words

No one knows the way you move or work, or how you call and stir our souls, but your smallest whisper is greater than any powerful force we can raise.

Lord, speak your words into the life of my child.  Draw this one quietly, powerfully, and forever to you.  Make yourself irresistible to him.

Nature

The big one is off on a school camping trip today.  My prayer for her and her classmates is that through nature, they would see you.  May being out of the city, in a natural setting, cause them to feel at peace, to feel whole, to feel as though it were easier to get along and be kind.  May you speak to them through the fresh spring green, through the sights and smells and sensations.  Draw them to you through this experience.

Worship You Only

I pray that these children would know what other idols are, and choose not to worship them.  May they understand that you are the true only God and nothing else is worthy of pursuit - money, popularity, looks, shopping, other people...  May they worship you only and serve you only.

2 Kings 17

Thankfulness

Half a calendar away from Thanksgiving - I pray that being grateful would be a lifestyle for these children.  I pray that they would know how to be truly thankful, and not just know it the thing to say so they don't get reminded to say it.  I pray they know how fortunate they are to have enough.