A Mother's Prayers

 Lilhimself,

There's so much I want for your life.  But as I pray for you, these three things keep coming to mind.

I pray you know love.

Your mother and father were both blessed to grow up in loving families.  Our parents were both high school sweethearts and are still married to each other.  They've been through ups and downs, celebrations and grief, but they've stuck with each other through it all.  I pray that you first learn love from seeing how much your mother and father love each other.  We're best friends, and we will try to be a united front when it comes to loving and raising you.

I pray you understand how much we love you.  You were wanted and prayed for long before you became part of our lives.  Your mama talked to you in her belly before she was 100% sure you were there (but you were...).  Your daddy became a softy as soon as he found out about you.  We're so excited to meet you and learn just how much we can love someone we just met.  I pray that over the years, as we have our arguments ("No, you cannot get a pet snake."  "No, you are not leaving the house wearing that."  "No, you cannot stay out til midnight") you realize we're not just old fuddy duddies or killjoys, but that we do it because we love you and want to protect you.  And because snakes are icky.

I pray that you learn how to love others, that you learn at an early age that it's nice to share, good to do kind deeds, and that if it's not nice, we probably shouldn't say it.  I pray that you love your cousins, your siblings (if you have them some day), and your friends.  I pray that you love strangers enough to greet them with a smile and your classmates enough to say "good morning" to them.  I pray that people see your loving nature, and see God through your loving nature.

"By this, everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." -- John 13:35



I pray you grow strong in your faith.

I pray that you believe in God, believe in Jesus, and are a Christian for your whole life.  I don't want you to be a Christian because your mom and dad are, but because you study the Bible and God reveals Himself to you in a way that strengthens your faith and erases your doubts.

I pray that you believe at a young age and grow strong in your faith, so that you can avoid many temptations of the world.  Be able to explain your faith and stand strong in your faith, so you do not go astray when you are in college and away from our Christian home.

I pray that you find God's purpose for you life.  Find your passions, pursue them, and use your talents to make a difference in this world.

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect."  --1 Peter 3:15



I pray you have a thirst for knowledge.

I pray that you find this new world fascinating and soak it all in.  Explore, ask questions (I'll try not to get exasperated when the question is "why?" a million times a day), be curious.  Don't take things at face value or blindly accept them as truth.  Test them, try them, learn them from experience, not simply as facts.

Value education.  Your mom and dad both do, and we want the best for you.  You will be given a free, public education for years.  While it may not be a perfect system, take advantage of it, learn from it, and grow from it.  Try band.  Try sports.  Try art or drama.  Take advantage of the fact that it is free and learn who you are and who you want to be before going to college (where, trust me, it isn't free!)

Whenever you have all the degrees you desire, don't stop learning.  The world has infinite information to share with you, so I pray you never lose that curiosity.

"An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge." -- Proverbs 18:15




There's so much out of life we want for you.  For now, we want you to continue to grow healthy and strong. As an infant, we want you to be a big sleeper (please!) and be safe.  We want you to have an educational and loving daycare you look forward to going to every day, so your mama doesn't feel guilty about spending her day with 90 parents' babies instead of her own baby.  We want you to grow up slowly so we can enjoy every stage of your life.  We want to watch you transform into a strong man who knows how to change a tire, mow the lawn, and pursue your future wife like a gentleman.  Oh, so many things we want for you.  For now, we'll stick with these three...