Archive for the Category »praying for your kids «

14
May
Do You Worry About Your Kids? Grab Onto This Tip.
Susan Gaddis

Sometimes I forget that God is closer to my kids than I am. Usually this lapse of memory occurs when a child, or grandchild, falls into some type of crisis—or my definition of a crisis. When my worry genes kick in, my mind switches gears into anxiety mode and my hand reaches for my Bible. The latter action adjusts the former two.

One tip for dissolving worry is to tweak your mind from thinking worry-talk to thinking promise-talk. Here are two Scripture promises I use for my personal self-talk during times of anxiety. Note how each Scripture ignites a spiritual pep talk in my brain. Just replace my name with yours.

“Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD—with the first of them and with the last—I am he” (Isaiah 41:4 NIV).

Susan, God has been calling your generations from the beginning of time. He has called each individual in your family into existence and he is with each one of your kids, just as he has been with you. He is also calling your kids—even those yet unborn—to come into his love and light. God is passionate about your generations and he is passionately in love with your kids. He will always be at their side drawing them close.

“But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations” (Psalm 33:11 NIV).

Susan, God’s plans and purposes for your kids will stand firm. These plans are not dependent on the opinion or actions of your kids, yourself, or others. God is more determined than you are to see your kids come into his kingdom and walk with him. His intimate thoughts are on each person in the generations that follow you—planning how He can influence each life to reflect His love and grace.

God’s promises hold steady when our lives don’t. Self-talking a few Scriptures transforms worry into faith. What Scripture promises do you grab onto when your children hit your worry button?  

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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Category: Daily, Quiet moments, praying for your kids  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
03
May
Celtic Prayer for Your Family
Susan Gaddis

Those of My Heart, Lord

 
Those of my heart, Lord,
Into your hands and into your keeping, 
This day and this night,
In the name of the Father,
The Son, and the Spirit Holy.
 
I hold them before you, Lord,
In the tasks they have to do;
In the decisions they face;
In their worries and fears—
Be their Companion, Guide, and Best Friend.
 
I hold them before you, Lord,
In their joys and disappointments
In their successes and failures;
In their goings and their restings—
Be their Lord, their King, their God.
 
Those of my heart, Lord
Into your hands and into your keeping,
This day and this night,
In the name of the Father,
The Son, and the Spirit Holy.

Copyright 2009 by Susan Gaddis

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Category: Celtic Christianity, Prayer, praying for your kids  Tags: , , , , ,
12
Apr
Celtic Blessing On Leaving Home
Susan Gaddis

My son left home this morning. Packed his car to the ceiling and stuffed a grocery bag full of carrots, peanut butter, bread and energy bars into a left over hole. He’s left home before—two years in Northern Ireland a few years ago. As with most men at age 23, this will probably, hopefully, be his last time leaving home.

He’s headed to Massachusetts to discover adventure and his future. I prayed this blessing for him this morning from To Bless the Space Between Us, A Book of Blessings by John O’Donohue.

Every time you leave home,
Another road takes you
Into a world you were never in.
 
New strangers on other paths await,
New places that have never seen you
Will startle a little at your entry.
Old places that know you well
Will pretend nothing
Changed since your last visit.
 
When you travel, you find yourself
Alone in a different way,
More attentive now
To the self you bring along,
Your more subtle eye watching
You abroad; and how what meets you
Touches that part of the heart
That lies low at home.

 

Well…I’ll let you find the rest of the blessing hidden amidst many more daily blessings and experiences in To Bless the Space Between Us.

Go forth and conquer, Jonathan. Our prayers and blessings go with you.

In Him together, Mom

Four down and two to go. My nest will become empty someday.

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Category: Celtic Christianity, Prayer, Relationships, praying for your kids  Tags: , , , , ,
05
Feb
How to Pray Your Child “Home”
Susan Gaddis

394279_home_keyI believe in praying for my kids. I’m in the trenches of finishing raising child number six now, and prayer, as with the other five kids, continues to be my best bet for his survival and my sanity.

Titus 2:11–12 is the mainstay of my Scripture praying for my children. Although I use many, this one passage remains my favorite when I approach God’s throne discouraged and needing my Father to do another “kid intervention.” Basically, my Titus 2 prayer sounds like the following:

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. That’s a lot of grace, Lord—enough to show your salvation to everyone who has ever lived. So I know there is as much grace as is necessary for (name of child) to come home to you in his heart, decisions, and actions.

I ask that your grace continue to teach (name of child) to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions. You know, Lord, how much temptation my child faces on a daily basis. May your grace instruct (him/her) in how to live a self-controlled, upright and godly life in this present age—here and now—not just someday in the future. Lord, self-control, upright, and godly are hard things to walk in, even for an adult. I ask that you do what no one else can do in my child’s life—teach (him/her) to be a Christ follower.”

So far God’s track record in the Gaddis Department of Child Raising has been spotless. Parenting is messy at times, but God, for His part, has been faithful. All of the older kids love and serve the Lord, and I have every confidence that this last one will continue to be mentored by Grace in how to say “Yes” to self-control, an upright heart, and godly actions. I’m expecting Grace to teach him how to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions.

Am I the only parent who needs the God of Grace to mentor my children? What do you pray when you seek the Lord for the welfare of your kids? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

In Him together, Susan

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