A Mother's Prayer

Dear Father God,

Tears swell and my heart aches when I feel his tiny fingers cling to me. The wonder in his eyes, his helplessness, innocence and trust, all bombard me with the depth of his dependence on me. I think of so many failed attempts to conform myself for You – So many broken vows, angry words, lost chances, unkind actions. Can it be possible that I will be the one to shelter and instruct another? How will I fulfill the enormity of nurturing this precious child?

My Lord, you know all of my weaknesses. Help me to find victory over them for my child’s sake. Put within me a new heart, as clean as his is, so that we may begin together. Give me the desire to sacrifice willingly and to discipline myself totally. Let the confidence you have shown by placing this blessed child in my care, become my own.

I seek your counsel in every moment and every decision I make. Recreate me, Father, to be like stained glass, allowing Jesus, the light of the world, to pierce the colors that are me until we blend and shine through with love – A steady sunbeam to glow before my child as he grows. Fill me with a passion for your Word and elevate my soul towards You so that I may gain the wisdom and patience his mistakes will demand. Let my love be freely given - With no trace of it hoarded away in any dark, selfish corner of my heart. But if in my weakness I should fail him, reassure his heart with the knowledge that he is always cherished and that nothing, can separate Him from Your love for him.

My fear is great at times, knowing that my little son will be watching and learning from me – It doubles the burden of my imperfections. Please don’t let my faults stain his chances. Give him the courage to realize the great strength found in weakness; his need to turn his struggles over to you so that his lower instincts to embrace sin will have no power over him. Show him, rather, how to draw power from Your Throne.

Lord, I implore you to inspire my teaching. Give me the depth of understanding and the total acceptance of who You have created him to be. Show me how to nurture his dependence on You, which will form a healthy self-esteem in him. Deliver him from temptation, making him capable of withstanding whatever Satan throws at him. Let nothing in this world ever devastate him or separate him from his faith in you.

Father, I dedicate my precious little son to You as a faithful servant to further your Kingdom. I trust you to direct my guidance of him so that he puts all his trust in You and loves all humanity with a truthful, compassionate heart. Let his faith always give him hope and a firm assurance that he is a child of God, unique and invaluable to You. I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus ... Amen.

Oh, So, Foolish Pride…

It’s not exactly praiseworthy, but I’ve been known to stand at the mirror while morbidly contemplating my body. (Can I get a witness?) I stare at the contents of my closet, with my wiggly thighs and dimpled knees defiantly mocking me. I suck in my belly and wonder how long I can keep that up.
I’m just a tad bigger than I used to be in my prime, so it often takes a while to find something that will accommodate my “current version.” Wouldn’t it be great if the clothes in there would just magically transform? Yeah, right.
Since I'm not currently shrinking and probably won't be any time soon, seems like my clothes could, I don’t know, maybe… e x p a n d! But they never oblige...Go figure.
Well, I’ve gotten over it, somewhat, because I finally did move the most treacherous ones, (the very smallest), into the spare bedroom closet. Now they have a designated storage place of their own - Make any sense to you?
I know, I know, its pretty weird. But, I’m the worst pack rat in existence. Some of those clothes are authentic antiques from when I was in my teens. You don't want to venture a guess on that one and I sure don’t want to go there either. Funny thing is, a lot of those clothes are back in style again. Yeah, well, a lot of good it does me - I can’t wear them, remember! You’d think I’d just sack them up and donate them to the local High School, right?
That would be entirely too logical. Well, maybe tomorrow... When I consider it, there’s no rational explanation… Hum, except prideful recollection of vain “Barbie” doll memories - Way back when I was enviably thin. (At least that's the way I remember it!)
Not to worry, though. Pride has a way of quickly burning off the top when it is thrown into the refiner’s fire! And you can always rely on His perfect fit. You see, when it comes to God, it’s free, given to all His children and it does come in an expandable fit. Yea, come to think of it, His garment of salvation grows right along with me. Christ’s unmatchable act of sacrifice wraps around me no matter what, so that even in my swollen state, (head included), he’s got me covered. It’s a great, luxurious fit. But the absolutely incredible part is that my Savior calls me His own “beautiful bride” - You gotta love it!
The Bible tells us what the well-dressed child of God is wearing these days. Isaiah 61:10 says, "For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness." I’ve never had to starve or lament over my garments of salvation and my robe of righteousness. As a matter of fact, the moment I asked, they came straight from God, through the righteousness of his Son, Jesus Christ. It's Jesus' robe I wear. And I must say, I feel like a real winner in it!
Colossians 3:12-14 has even more to say about some pretty cool attire. "Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
Did you notice that phrase, "over all"? (Not to be confused with "overalls" - that's an entirely different look.) We're instructed to put on love. Love is the ultimate accessory - Just kind of pulls it all together, if you know what I mean. With or without the thunder thighs, we’re talking one really great look - Oh, how my Father loves me!