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.

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.

The Wisdom Filter

I pray for their ability to filter the things that make them upset, sad, angry and disappointed through the 'wisdom' part of their brains and souls before they let their faces and voices respond in a way that's not appropriate.  Help them learn to deal well with the negatives in life.

Disappointments

I pray that when circumstances around them are disappointing (like a rained out class outing), they would understand that they still have the power to control their attitudes.  My they learn to express their hurts and negative emotions in ways that are constructive and don't hurt other people.

Perspective

I pray today for proper perspective - not that they are the most important person in the world, but that they are their own best teacher.  They will turn out to be what they see themselves as.  May they aspire to be kind, nice, and influential for good, rather than rich, powerful, and popular.  May they not see their world as unfair, but instead decide how to live in light of their circumstances.

Self Control

Taking my cue from the Inspired to Action Prayer Calendar for Mothers, today I pray for Self Control for M and for all the kids in her school.  May they see that self-restraint is possible, and is a good thing.  Give them successes today in watching what they say and do for the sake of kindness, and may your presence be felt all over that school today.