I used to be a perfect parent. Until, that is, I gave birth.
Stormie Omartian says this about parenting:
"It's the best of jobs. It's the most difficult of jobs. It can bring you the greatest joy. It can cause the greatest pain. There is nothing as fulfilling and exhilarating. There's nothing so depleting and exhausting. No area of your life can make you feel more like a success when everything is going well. No area of your life can make you feel more like a failure when things go wrong."
Can I get an "Amen"?
A surplus of emotions like the ones described above are flooding me as I gear up to send my first-born out into the big, big world. I have these moments where I am talking to my son and right before my eyes, he's nine again. Remember that scene in Father of the Bride when Steve Martin is talking to his daughter and she becomes a little girl again? Yes, just like that!
It's true. Kids grow up faster than you can say, "Am I doing anything right?"
In all honesty, yes and no.
Beyond question, the single most important thing I have done as a parent is pray for him. Look at this beautiful visual in Lamentations 2:19:
"Pour out your heart like water
before the face of the Lord.
Lift your hands toward Him for the
life of your young children."
Can you picture your prayers for your child flowing out from your heart like an ocean, knowing they will meet God's face? We can raise our hands in prayer for help from the best parent there is, our Heavenly Father.
While I certainly haven't done every thing right as a parent, I have prayed and will continue until my last breath. Although his Nana would argue otherwise, my prayers have not beget a "perfect" son. They have, gratefully, protected him more times than I can count. They have also imparted an immeasurable amount of peace. As parents, we need this peace to steady us through the difficult times.
If you don't have children yet, start praying for them anyways. If you have children and haven't prayed for them ever or in a long time, start praying. It's never too early or too late.
My "baby" and me
Thanks for reading,
L.
