“I give up!” I cried out in frustration as I fell to my knees. “Lord, you have to help me because I’m seriously failing at this mom thing.” Tears flowed down my face as my heart broke over the poor choices my teenage child had recently been making.
I recalled memories of cradling my innocent newborn with tears of joy and complete amazement over this incredible being I loved so dearly. I lifted prayers of thanksgiving, and prayers for the future, to the Lord.
After years of praying faithfully, I now felt like a complete failure as a mom.
At that moment, the Holy Spirit reminded me of God’s words in Hebrews 12:1b-2a,
“…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…”.
A gentle conviction swept over me as I realized I was living entangled in fear holding my children tightly in my hands to protect them. Although I prayed for them daily, I did not fully trust the Lord and His plans.
Trusting the Lord
How do we trust the Lord and His plans for our children? Honestly, that is a difficult question to answer and one I daily strive to figure out.
On my good days, I have peace and know the Lord has them within the palm of His hands. I trust His leadership and direction for their lives, no matter their choices.
But, on my bad days – the days when I hold them tightly in my hands – I fall to my knees and open my palms to the Lord. I confess that once again, I am entangled by the sin of fear. I ask Him to give me a heart that remembers He loves them more than I can imagine.
Fix our eyes on Jesus
In Hebrews 12, God reminds us He has a race marked out for us as moms – one that fixes our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith – rather than being hindered by our fear. As we fix our eyes on Jesus, we trust God and His plan for our children. It’s in the trusting where we find hope on our journey through motherhood.
Friend, the Lord knew our children when they were in our wombs. He set them apart, ordaining all their days before they were born. (Psalm 139:13-16, Jeremiah 1:5) He loves them and has a perfect plan to prosper and not harm them, to give them hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)
Will our children make poor choices and, as such, face consequences? Yes. But friend, we can’t give up hope. We must commit today to have the confidence and perseverance we need to trust the Lord and the race He has marked out for us. And remember God holds our children safely in the palm of His hands as they journey through their teenage years and grow into adulthood.
In His Calm,
Friend, as you commit to trust the Lord and His plans for your teenager’s life, I have created a printable with verses to pray for your child. Click the link below to download the Verses to Pray for our Children printable.
Verses to Pray for our Children
