Day 7:  He Is Able

Lord, I praise you, for I know that by Your mighty power at work within us, You are able to accomplish far more that we could ever hope, or dream, or imagine.  May you be glorified in each of the lives of these children.         Ephesians 3:20

                                                                                                                                                   In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Do you believe big things for the children in your life?  Do you believe that He is able… able to keep them from falling, able to transform them, use them, lead them, protect them?  He is indeed able—able to do far more than we could ever imagine.

This is one of those verses that I cling to.  It is hard to believe beyond what we see.  But, after all,  that is what faith is.  I often say to my kids when they are having a problem, “God is the Creator of the Universe.  This is not hard for Him.  Though this is a huge deal for us, it is easy for Him.”  Let’s choose to trust Him today, not just with our children, but with every aspect of our lives.  He is able.

Day 6:  God-Esteem

Lord, help these children to know that they are fearfully and wonderfully made.  Wonderful are your works!       

                                                                                                        Psalm 139:14

                                                                                                In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

We constantly hear that children need a good self-esteem.  But I want my children to have a good God-esteem.  I want them to see themselves as God sees them, a wonderful work of art—a masterpiece.  Self-esteem will fail them, God-esteem will not.

Maybe today you need to know that, too–that you are fearfully and WONDERFULLY made.  Fearfully does not mean in fear in this passage.  It means with respect.  God made you with great care and respect and He made you to be wonderful.  And you are.  And so are your children.

But we don’t always feel that way do we?

Just because we don’t feel something doesn’t mean it’s not true.

If the wind is blowing we don’t feel it if we are not outside.  But just because we are not outside, does not mean that it is not true that the wind is blowing.

Let’s get outside of ourselves and our negative thinking about ourselves.  Let’s believe God’s Word and let it transform how we see ourselves.  Feeling will follow after.  And our example of a good God-esteem will be an agent of change in how our children view themselves.

Day 4:  Choosing Joy

(When you see “these children”, insert the names of the children for whom you are praying.)

Lord, give these children joy in your presence.  May this joy be their strength.   Nehemiah 8:10

                                                                                                          In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

There is a huge difference between joy and happiness.  Happiness is based on circumstance.  If everything is going just as I wish, just as I planned, then I am happy.  But joy is deeper.  Joy is not dependent on circumstance.  Joy is what Jesus brings to our souls, even when we are not happy.

As parents, we often wish happiness above all for our children.  That sounds like a noble  wish, but in reality we would be short-changing our children if all they ever felt was happiness.  So many wonderful attributes can only be learned in the hard times.  If our children only experience happiness, then they will be handicapped in their character.  And yet, the modern day parent, including myself, tends to work very hard to ensure that their children are happy every moment.  This result is inevitably a whole generation of self-centered, happiness-seeking individuals.  And this will eventually lead to an empty, meaningless existence—just the opposite of the happiness we so eagerly sought.

Don’t get me wrong.  I am generally a happy person.  And I want my children to be happy children.  In our 28 years of parenting, we have often ask our kids, “Are you having a happy childhood?”  It is very important to us that our children look back on their childhood with happy, fond memories.  But that is not all I want for them.  I want above all for them to seek joy.

J.O.Y.  Jesus, then others, then yourself.  This is the secret to joy.  And that secret does not always equate with happiness.

As parents, let’s be willing to let our kids experience a bit of unhappiness and in the midst of it, let’s point them to joy.