A Mother's Prayer

I always wanted to be a mother.

I had plenty of opportunity for training in my childhood, too!

It started with dolls...

Then that morphed into wanting to hold baby cousins, or babies of my mom's friends...

All of that was training for when my baby brother was born...

I loved holding and helping with him!

And then I had a baby of my own!

(This is a four-generation photo. Me with my grandmother, mother, and firstborn, Roman.)

I was 25, and finally a mother!

I was happy!

But it came with a burden...

A thought I had never had before in my life.

I began to wonder, "What if he doesn't grow up to love the Lord? What if he takes a godless path."

This thought began to really worry me.

So, when Roman was a baby I began to pray a very specific prayer.

It was this...

"Lord, please give Roman a tender heart towards you. Please give him a heart that wants to obey your Word. A heart that wants to love you and serve you all the days of his life. And please don't give me any children that won't eventually grow to love you, desire your ways, and seek your will."

I was very serious about this prayer and would pray it regularly.

I would specifically ask the the Lord not to give me children that would remain wayward or godless for life. 

While Roman was a baby and I was praying this prayer, I became pregnant.

I continued on with this daily prayer for Roman's heart and for the hearts of my future babies.

About two months into my pregnancy, I lost the baby.

Of course I was sad, and grieved the loss, but God reminded me of my prayer.

To this day I wonder if that's why the baby was taken into Heaven early.

I'll never know this side of Heaven, but look forward to meeting him or her when I get there someday!

Just recently I shared this story with my children.

(These are all of my babies today...)

I told my children that God listens to our prayers... that He wants their hearts and has a plan for each of their lives...

I told them that I expect that they will trust in Jesus as their personal Lord and savior... remain on the right and narrow path... and that they will spend their lives loving and seeking the Lord and His ways...

I told them about their heritage... About how they came from a long line of people who have loved the Lord, on both my side of the family, as well as their dad's.

I wanted to instill in them a sense of legacy.

So, I told them that their Great-Grandparents served the Lord until it was time to pass the baton to Gran and Papa, and Grandma and Grandpa. Then they passed the baton to dad and me... and someday it will be passed on to them to continue to "Run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." Hebrews 12:1-2

For now, I will cling to my instructions which are to "Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Ephesians 6:5

But I hope that one day I'll be able to rejoice and say that "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in truth." 3 John 1:4

Mama's, there is nothing more important you can do with your life than to train up the next generation of warriors for the Lord. 

Our world desperately needs it!

I want to be a mama who's doing that!

Don't you?

We can do it, girlfriends!

"Let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

What are YOU praying over your children?

xo,

~ Courtney ~