On a serious note.....
I have recently been bombarded with conversations, questions, and just random things (such as news stories) dealing with harm that comes to children and families. I am the type of person who just simply cannot watch the nightly news because it depresses me too much (not to mention makes me even more paranoid than I already am). I choose sometimes to be blissfully unaware, as unintellectual and ignorant as that may sound.
Yet I don't think it's coincidental that I have been faced with thinking about these tough issues lately. I believe God is truly trying to teach me how to go a level deeper in my prayer life.
I think I've mentioned it before, but I am a person who can read for an hour out of the Bible, but cannot focus on more than 5 minutes of prayer (when I'm not in a group, that is). I was raised in a household where prayer was central....we prayed for EVERYTHING, from a sick relative to missing car keys. My parents went to prayer first before they got worked up over anything. I don't know how that didn't rub of on me; I wish it had.
It took God giving me the gift of a prayerful husband to change my habits. I still have a long way to go, mind you, but I definitely look at prayer a lot differently than I did even five years ago. I see it as the most important weapon in my arsenal...as a Christ-follower, as a wife, and as a mom.
What I mainly want to share is how prayer for my child is revolutionizing my life. During countless nights when Gardner just wouldn't be calmed for sleep, I worried....Ken prayed. During power struggles over Gardner's difficulty learning how to use a bottle so that we could leave him with a sitter, I cried...Ken prayed. When I heard stories about babies who had become ill or worse, I panicked and freaked out, ripping out bumper pads and installing a video monitor.....Ken prayed.
Since the day of his birth, Ken and I have taken turns each night praying over Gardner before bedtime. It is a ritual, and he has come to recognize it as a part of our nightly routine. Yet it was only a few weeks ago that I found myself towering over Gardner in his crib at 3:00 pm, when he was fitful due to incoming baby teeth and fighting his afternoon nap. I suddenly found myself praying. I prayed earnestly, even though I half-heartedly thought that God might not have time for a teething infant's woes when He had the whole world to tend to. I wish I hadn't been surprised when Gardner looked up at me, sighed, and calmed down immediately. I felt God's presence there in his little room, and I thanked Him for it....as well as for Ken's guidance to that point.
I cannot help but to be skeptical of wary neighborhood walkers.....I find my mind wandering to what type of person they are, swearing I will never let Gardner play outside alone. I am afraid of his choking, so I cut up his food into ridiculously small morsels (that he is becoming so well at picking up with his tiny fingers). I am now certified in CPR. I told Ken I would never let him go over to play at a friend's home unless we were good friends with their parents. Even today, I have been reading about reports of sick people who scour the internet for cute pictures of babies in diapers to use for....well, other purposes. It sickens me, frightens me.
What must I do? I cannot add another deadbolt to our door. I cannot buy a steel-reinforced vehicle tomorrow.....our financial peace won't allow for that. I cannot ensure that every drop of food he eats is hormone, pesticide, artificial ingredient, and GMO-free.
But I can pray. I can pray that God will watch over him as he sleeps, plays, eats, and crawls. I can pray that God grow him into a child who will accept Him at a very young age. I can pray for safety from the world's evil, for wisdom to evade it if necessary, and the courage to stand up for other victims. It is all I have to offer him....and yet is is everything.
Thank You, God, for Gardner. I give over his care to You. You will do a much better job than I could ever dream of doing. I trust You with my treasure.
Yet I don't think it's coincidental that I have been faced with thinking about these tough issues lately. I believe God is truly trying to teach me how to go a level deeper in my prayer life.
I think I've mentioned it before, but I am a person who can read for an hour out of the Bible, but cannot focus on more than 5 minutes of prayer (when I'm not in a group, that is). I was raised in a household where prayer was central....we prayed for EVERYTHING, from a sick relative to missing car keys. My parents went to prayer first before they got worked up over anything. I don't know how that didn't rub of on me; I wish it had.
It took God giving me the gift of a prayerful husband to change my habits. I still have a long way to go, mind you, but I definitely look at prayer a lot differently than I did even five years ago. I see it as the most important weapon in my arsenal...as a Christ-follower, as a wife, and as a mom.
What I mainly want to share is how prayer for my child is revolutionizing my life. During countless nights when Gardner just wouldn't be calmed for sleep, I worried....Ken prayed. During power struggles over Gardner's difficulty learning how to use a bottle so that we could leave him with a sitter, I cried...Ken prayed. When I heard stories about babies who had become ill or worse, I panicked and freaked out, ripping out bumper pads and installing a video monitor.....Ken prayed.
Since the day of his birth, Ken and I have taken turns each night praying over Gardner before bedtime. It is a ritual, and he has come to recognize it as a part of our nightly routine. Yet it was only a few weeks ago that I found myself towering over Gardner in his crib at 3:00 pm, when he was fitful due to incoming baby teeth and fighting his afternoon nap. I suddenly found myself praying. I prayed earnestly, even though I half-heartedly thought that God might not have time for a teething infant's woes when He had the whole world to tend to. I wish I hadn't been surprised when Gardner looked up at me, sighed, and calmed down immediately. I felt God's presence there in his little room, and I thanked Him for it....as well as for Ken's guidance to that point.
I cannot help but to be skeptical of wary neighborhood walkers.....I find my mind wandering to what type of person they are, swearing I will never let Gardner play outside alone. I am afraid of his choking, so I cut up his food into ridiculously small morsels (that he is becoming so well at picking up with his tiny fingers). I am now certified in CPR. I told Ken I would never let him go over to play at a friend's home unless we were good friends with their parents. Even today, I have been reading about reports of sick people who scour the internet for cute pictures of babies in diapers to use for....well, other purposes. It sickens me, frightens me.
What must I do? I cannot add another deadbolt to our door. I cannot buy a steel-reinforced vehicle tomorrow.....our financial peace won't allow for that. I cannot ensure that every drop of food he eats is hormone, pesticide, artificial ingredient, and GMO-free.
But I can pray. I can pray that God will watch over him as he sleeps, plays, eats, and crawls. I can pray that God grow him into a child who will accept Him at a very young age. I can pray for safety from the world's evil, for wisdom to evade it if necessary, and the courage to stand up for other victims. It is all I have to offer him....and yet is is everything.
Thank You, God, for Gardner. I give over his care to You. You will do a much better job than I could ever dream of doing. I trust You with my treasure.
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