Being a mother is not an easy task, but it is a calling that I will never walk away from. When my children were small, I wanted to cry when they cried, but even that couldn’t take away the pain that their little bodies had to endure. Just as I was, my children were created as their own separate beings that have to feel their own pain, heal their own wounds and bear their own burdens. A mother is created to love her children with all her heart,* and therefore we pour ourselves into teaching them, nurturing them, comforting them, and guiding them on the right path. They grow and make decisions that are their very own, and whether I agree with them or not, I attempt to show them the unselfish, unconditional love of a mother.
* As a side note for anyone who did not receive love from their mother the way that God created it to be, I am SO SORRY. You are not alone even when it feels that way, and your mother’s actions and treatment of you actually have nothing to do with you. Abuse in any method is an awful thing to experience, and Jesus feels your pain with you. If you weren’t mothered in a way that was unconditional and nurturing, it is because of the pain and hurts that went unhealed in previous generations. It’s a burden to bear, but Jesus will NOT leave you, and he is willingly offering to partner with you and help you carry it. Your mission is to draw a line in the sand and break generational patterns. Heal, forgive, seek deliverance, and pray, and know the importance of what you are doing that will improve your life and generations after you.
Our childrens’ paths are their own, though, and as much as we pray for them and advise them, we can’t make them reach for their Heavenly Father or ensure that they will choose the path leading to eternal salvation. Like a caterpillar that has turned into a butterfly, we release our children into the world and pray that they will not drench their wings, get caught in the grill of a moving car, or get stuck in the mud. We pray that they never get in a situation where they are unable to pull themselves out of harm’s way before it is too late. If our children are like butterflies, though, and we have done all we can to live Godly lives, then when they become adults, they don’t just fly away. Our adult children have been released with powerful prayers and a super-charged faith in which we can trust that they have been marked as children of God.
My children have heard about Jesus their whole lives, but until recently, I had a religious faith led by emotions rather than a relationship faith led by Holy Spirit. I have been a lifelong Christian, but like many, I felt that I had to DO enough, BE enough, and GIVE enough to have a shot at getting into heaven. I had heard that wasn’t the case, but I didn’t believe it, because love had never been given to me without strings. I had done all the things to look like a Christian, talk like a Christian, and walk like a Christian, but I had missed the mark.
For by grace you have been saved by faith. Nothing you did could ever earn this salvation, for it was the love gift from God that brought us to Christ! So no one will ever be able to boast, for salvation is never a reward for good works or human striving. Ephesians 2:8-9 TPT
With children that are now adults, I pray for their relationship with God the Father and pray that their hearts will be open to hearing his calling for them to draw closer. I can no longer contain them as little caterpillars in a cozy cage, because they have grown now, transformed into butterflies, and are now flying on their own. Just as Jesus’s mother, Mary, needed to have her own relationship of trust with her Heavenly Father throughout her son’s life as Jesus grew up and then began his own ministry, this is the season of motherhood that I am now in. Relating to how Mary likely felt as this little boy she had raised from birth was now venturing out, walking in his calling and getting himself into some dangerous situations, I can only imagine her heartache when he was crucified on the cross. I find comfort in thinking of simpler times, remembering fondly the moments of rocking my babies to sleep, knowing exactly where they were and being able to make decisions that would keep them safe and cared for. I was able to protect them from harm or at the minimum be able to console them when they got hurt in those fleeting years before they began choosing their own path. Even then, Heavenly Father loved my babies, too, and their momma, and he promises to never stop loving each one of us.
Prayer for parents to pray aloud for their children: Heavenly Father, please keep watch over my children. Keep calling them to you, even when they don’t choose to turn your direction. Just as you promise, thank you for never giving up on them and for constantly offering them forgiveness for their choices. I have made my share of mistakes over my lifetime, and I know that you have washed away and redeemed everything that I have ever brought before you. Thank you for reminding me that you are a good, good Father and that you have made each of your children with unique talents and gifts. Thank you for having your hand on each of my babies as they were being formed in the womb, and for your love and care of them now as they make their own decisions. You are a God of love, and I pray that you release each of my children from poor choices that have been made and continue to draw us closer to you in a warm embrace of forgiveness. May we each find relief and peace in your presence. You sent your only son, Jesus, to die for me, for each of my children, and for their other parent, and I ask for your forgiveness when any of us have taken that gift for granted. I did not realize the levity of my sins until my eyes were opened, and now that I see, I pray over my children that you may open their eyes so they too may see, open their hearts to receive love and give it to others, and open their minds so they may know your amazing grace and mercy. I love you, Abba. Please stay with me even now in my moments of sadness. I will fear nothing outside of your amazing power, and I humbly ask for your hand on my children right now and forevermore. Lord, rescue my children from the clutches of the evil one and provide them avenues to get deliverance. It is in the mighty power of Jesus’s name that I pray… AMEN.