1445 Praying In Circles

My facebook feed is currently flooded with those priceless back to school photos. Just yesterday I saw Breckyn’s first day of kindergarten and Kiley’s first day of college. And while it seems a lifetime will separate those two photos, us older moms know just how fast it all goes. We only have these kids home with us for a short time, then they’re gone. The year will come when there are no back to school shoes to buy. No school supplies to stress over. No first day send offs. And please, listen to me … that’s the goal. The goal is to raise those babies and watch them fly right out of the nest. The goal isn’t to keep them home forever. Mama, you’ve got to let them go. This is success. All too often I hear from mom’s who are struggling to let their grown man child be a man. They’re holding on to this fully capable young woman as if she’s still a little girl who needs her pigtails tightened. You’re only holding them back! They aren’t mean to live with you forever, that’s why battles ensue when they become teenagers. This is them separating from your home. This is natural. Proverbs 22:6 MSG, “Point your kids in the right direction – when they’re old they won’t be lost.” But guess what, there will likely be some stupid wandering years before they’re old. You have a job here. Your job is to point them in the right direction. You can’t force them, and you can’t do it for them. And you can’t hold on so tightly to them that they can’t take a step without you. Mama, if you’re in the “wandering years” with your child, please know this: You’re not alone.This is somewhat normal.This won’t last forever. And I believe there are two things you absolutely must do. Let life be their teacher.Pray circles around them. I’ve raised three kids, somewhat successfully. I was not perfect, and neither were they. Their wandering years lasted longer than I had wished and sometimes went a lot further off track than I ever imagined. BUT GOD! Let me tell you, our God is faithful and he loves our kids even more than us. God is big enough to point and not force. Guide and not steer. And he is so patient through those wandering years because he already knows they will come back. And God lets life touch them. God doesn’t run in and rescue every time and make all the consequences go away. But he never leaves. He never turns away. He is always there. And this is our guide to parenting. We don’t make consequences go away. We don’t shield them from life. We don’t fix it for them, just as God doesn’t fix it all for us. We are simply present. We are faithful. We listen. We offer strength. We offer guidance. We are steady. And if you really want to help your child, you pray! James 5:16, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” And before you disqualify yourself thinking you could never be a righteous person, remember it is your belief and trust in Jesus that makes you righteous, not your works. As a believer, you are that righteous person, and your prayers have great power to produce wonderful results. Don’t you want wonderful results in the life of your child? Of course you do. Then Mama, earnestly pray for them! It is your “earnest” prayer that has great power and produces these wonderful results. What is an earnest prayer? Simply persistent. Again, and again. Daily. Continual. Over and over. You just keep bringing your child to the throne of the Almighty. God entrusted me with the lives of 3 human beings and my greatest role is to continually talk to God about them. If you’re a Mama, understand that’s your greatest role as well. It’s the most powerful thing you could ever do. Your yelling doesn’t produce these wonderful results. Your nagging doesn’t either. Nope, your worry isn’t doing it. But your prayer … whew girl, if you only understood the power of yo