Yes! You read that right! Stop praying for God to use your kids!! UNLESS of course you really mean it! Hear me out!
When your kids are little you (Christian parents) pray for them: their safety, that they will make good choices, be kind, meet and marry a nice Christian man/woman, and "for God to 'use' them" somehow. (The list could go on for days.) Those are all great and wise prayers. Then your child starts growing up.
One day, after years of talking about it, our young (YOUNG) teenager comes to us and begs us to go on a mission trip. "You are 12 honey! But that is just so cute! Look at her honey, she wants to go on a mission trip. We should let her go...I mean with one of us of course." Next year..."mommy can we go back?" She has been bitten by the bug! (Err...the Holy Spirit that is.) You are just super proud that they would want to spend time serving. Reaching out to un-reached (and under-reached) people.
Fast forward a bit. It's senior year. We are checking out colleges, doing the visits, narrowing down to the best one that fits where she is wanting to be and what she is wanting to be. You start to see that this little person...is not really little. She is actually going to leave me to go live with other people's little persons and go to school there. She won't be at my house anymore, eating all my groceries or leaving messes everywhere. But she also won't be piling up on my couch to watch TV with me, running errands with me just so we can talk, or coming to me with what happened to her that day. You just gotta give up and decide...ya know what...I can jump in the car and drive a couple of hours if I miss her. Or, we can go for a weekend and watch a football game together. I can do this! I got this! Home on some weekends and definitely holidays. Shwoo! Crisis averted! I can do this!
Dangit!! And if that wasn't going to be hard enough...the little rascal throws me a curve ball and says "hey mom, I heard about this thing called the World Race. I want to do that next year." I say: "What? You want to what? Umm...I don't think you can do a race around the world (the show on TV) and ya know...do stuff to win. Sorry babe, I don't want to kill your dream but no. You are not cut out for that sweetie." Yeah that is not the race she was talking about. haha!
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me."
Is 6:8
So now! Here I sit telling you not to pray for God to use your kids. Why? Because I haven't hugged my girl in 5 days. Because it is hard! Because she is going to third world countries without an adult....BECAUSE SHE IS THE ADULT!! Because! Because! Let me tell you right now, it is not for the faint of heart. Even with all of the technology that we have today the separation is gut wrenching. I am just being truthful!
Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you adn I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
Is 46:4
BUT!! But then I see pictures of her being the best her! I see a message from her about how amazing this journey is so far. I read her recently updated blog and see how God is already moving in her. Man! Fine! She wins! She is EXACTLY where God wants her to be. No matter what! (Geesh that is SO hard to say!) NO MATTER WHAT!!!! No matter what happens, she really is where God wants her to be. She will be able to meet people and tell them about Jesus by being an example of what Jesus looks like. Teaching English, building things, cleaning things, helping who knows who, doing who knows what! And I can honestly say to you...don't pray for God to use your kids in a mighty way...if you are not ready for Him to take you seriously. Because trust me! He will use them! And although that might look like something in your neighborhood or across town. Heck it might even be in another state. Or it might be something that looks like your precious little one traveling to four different countries over a nine month period.
And in case you have not figured it out yet! I really do want you to pray big things for your kiddos. Truly I do. But more importantly, I want you to also pray for God to prepare YOU for what that is. Pray that He would prepare YOU for that empty feeling you have when you walk by your child's bedroom. Pray that He would go before your little one (actually big now) and prepare a multitude of opportunities for them to share His love for people. Pray for your heart to be filled with all the love, joy, and peace that can only come from Him. He will give you that! You will be sad and miss your kiddo if they head off to the other side of the world...but there will be a peace that is only explained by Him. I talk big! ;) lol!
With His love He will calm all your fears.
Zeph 3:17
A sweet friend told me last week: "Just remember that there were once 9 months of Kenni Grace's life when you couldn't see her, but you knew she was there and growing." Another dear friend confirmed that same thought to me just days later. Wow! How true is this!
When we were pregnant with Kenni, we didn't find out what she was. We also didn't do any of the testing to see if there were any things we needed to be "concerned" about. We didn't care. We just wanted "the baby" here. Of course we prayed for a healthy baby, but we were trusting Him and going to take what He gave us. So for these nine months we are holding on to that same trust we had 18 years ago. I can't "see" her (other than social media). I can't touch or hold her. In nine months we will have her here. In our arms and home again.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Ps 139:13-14
