Was this week in the video not a wake up call on the harsh realities of parenting? That our kids will make bad choices, or that circumstances will fall on them that quickly spin out of control and potentially change the course of their lives forever? Fortunately, the situation shown to us turned out well – very well – but we all know we are one experience away from a life-changer.
Sobering thought it is.
A good friend invited me to join her in a challenge for this year to diligently pray a BIG prayer for each of my family members. She has actually chosen a verse to pray over each of her gang, as well as her husband. She has written the verses on index cards, tied them all together, and committed one day of the week to each family member. I’m always game for such challenges, so I was glad to accept her invitation. God is so good and provided me with the perfect verse to get me kicked off in my prayer pursuits. It came to my attention on this blog post, and it speaks directly to dreams and hopes my husband and I have had for years. I keep being pointed to the truth that our God is able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20), and we have not because we ask not (James 4:2). I truly believe that we pray far too little prayers for our Great Big God! ”Please bless _____” is pretty lame. God already promised blessings to those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ. We’ve got to learn to stretch ourselves farther than that!
This is the verse that I will be praying over our children. I imagine God will give me other verses throughout the year, so I have attached more blank cards to my group. For now I chose to include 7 total, the number of completion. ; ) Did you catch the symbolism of the wise owl couple underneath my Scripture? This little scalloped table sits as part of my favorite spot to enjoy quiet time.
I have also wanted to memorize this verse that I was given by one of our church elders over Progress Over Perfection blog. I love it as I continue to post thoughts here, both to bless you and to keep myself in check.
If you are inspired by this idea, feel free to join us! Let’s believe God for BIG things this year!
Back to our study…Those of you who are action-oriented, who want a step-after-step plan on how to apply Spiritual Parenting in your homes and families may be feeling a bit disoriented by the study thus far. I know there are a couple of you out there, because you have spoken to me. Where there are a few, I’m guessing there are more. To that need for action steps, may I encourage you with a verse Neil spoke about in church on Sunday?
The thread that needs to be woven through this entire study, through our entire lives, is that of being yielded to the Spirit. This takes practice. Neil encouraged us to be asking each day, Lord what do you want me to do and say, how do you want me to respond and behave this day? God wants to show up in this request! As we practice living a life guided by the Holy Spirit, I believe this behavior will be caught by, as well as taught to, our children.
I mean, think about it. How else could Michelle have responded to her daughter’s bad choice in such a grace-giving way? Was anyone else as impacted by her response as I was? Her choice in parenting is one that will stick with me as we reach further and further into the teenage years with our sons (God help us!). I want to be learning to surrender my days to the Spirit now so that I am fully armed to respond to the Spirit as we navigate our days as parents!
The story I’m speaking of is detailed in Chapter 4 of Spiritual Parenting. I’m going to do something a little scary here, and put myself out there for you. I know my readers are out there, because I can see visits to this blog in my stats. You all are shy to comment! (That’s okay. I’ll keep typing as long as the Lord has me doing so.) I’ve been thinking about doing a giveaway here on the blog for this book. So, here goes…
I’ll be doing a random drawing of one person to send you a copy of Spiritual Parenting!
HOW TO ENTER TO WIN:
1. Click “LEAVE A COMMENT” at the bottom of this post.
2. Share one person who has had a positive impact on your parenting. For example, I might comment like this. ”There are two people who have had great impact on who I am as a mother: my sister and my darling friend Susan. I can always count on them to give me perspective and a better way of approaching parenting trials and tribulations. I’m so grateful for their friendship and wise counsel!”
3. If my question has stumped you, tell me what your favorite color is. I’ll still enter your name into the drawing. ; )
4. My biggest blog fan, Youngest son, will draw one of your names out of a hat next Monday. The winner will be announced here on the blog.
*** Don’t hesitate to leave a comment if you don’t belong to our church! I’d be more than happy to ship the book to you! ***
As you can tell, I really believe that we could all benefit from Michelle Anthony’s perspective on parenting in the Lord and the stories that she tells. I’d love for each of you to have a book in your hands, so I’m thrilled to host this giveaway! I’m looking forward to hearing from you!
On the journey with you,
Nicole
Nicole, I felt compelled to comment even before I saw the giveaway offer:) Your verse above for your children is really beautiful and it struck with me. I am definitely writing that one down and praying on it too. What an amazing idea! The Spiritual Parenting class sounds great! If I wasn’t in the membership class, I would’ve gone to that one. On that note, I would love to win the book so at least I can read it on my own. Thanks for this offer.
The person who has had the biggest impact on my parenting is probably my grandpa, who is no longer with us. He was an amazing example of steadfast faith, love, generosity, and integrity. One of the best men I’ve ever known. He raised some amazing children and made sure all of his family was taken care of and following Christ before he passed. He was always so generous with opening his home, helping those who needed a little extra, and helping with things like home repairs (something he was very adept at). I hope I can be half the parent/grandparent he was.
Jessica,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts about your grandpa. What a lucky lady you are to have had such a wonderful role model and example in your life!
If you haven’t had the chance to click on the link to my original inspiration for that verse, please do! I loved what Beth Moore said there, and I bet you would love it, too!
Thanks for stopping by!
Nicole
1) I am influenced by my wife, because she has a gentleness and a celebratory spirit that I sometimes lack.
2) My favorite color is the blue of her eyes.
Aaaww, MacDaddy…you are so sweet!
I love all that you shared, but can I just take a moment to let you know that I love your handwriting?!?! OK, back to parenting. This may sound super spiritual, but the honest truth is that God the Father has had the greatest influence on my parenting. I wasn’t raised by Christian parents and didn’t have friends with Godly parents, so God Himself became my teacher, inspiration and model. I grow more dependent upon Him every day.
Blessings,
Linsey
Great versus for parenting Nicole and I’m looking forward to starting the prayer challenge for my family.
I have benefited from the wisdom of so many ladies when it comes to parenting. However, my husband, Loren is probably the person I learn from the most when it comes to our kids. He has the ability to make any mundane task fun. He involves our kids with cooking, repair projects, waxing skis etc. even when it doubles the time it takes to complete the task! I find myself too often choosing the path of less time and less mess, and missing those opportunities to “do” with my kids.
When our son chooses to be disobedient, Loren rarely looses his cool and instead has this great ability to distract our son and diffuse the situation. And when our daughter is upset about something, he doesn’t go into fix mode (like I do). He just listens, lets her do the talking, gives her a hug and she’s good to go. Revolutionary ideas, right!
I love this, Stacy! Your man is a one-of-a-kind bundle of surprises! : ) What would we do without our guys?!
I’d have to say that I’m blessed to have been inspired in many ways and by many people. Sometimes the inspiration has even come in a “what not to do” style. Parenting is a very hard job, but as such, it’s also rewarding beyond words. The biggest lessons, however, seem to have come from my children themselves; all four/five of them.
True that. My children are also my teachers. Funny how that works, isn’t it?
Let’s see… so many people have inspired my parenting.
To name a few:
1) My mom because she loves her kids/grandkids like crazy not in spite of but because of all our individualities and faults, and she looks for the best in each one of us.
2) You, dear aunt and friend, for how you continually seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and love to add style and flair to the mundane!
3) My friend Carrie for her sweet, patient voice and sense of humor (she has four kids and I’ve never, ever heard her raise her voice).
4) My friend Karen for how she daily prays with, for and over (while they sleep) her children, and because she often chooses to go against the grain seeking better choices for her family.
5) My husband because he is great at “playing” with our kids and keeps us all laughing.
And my favorite color is blue!
Bridget