Do you ever feel like you are on a team made up of ONE…. a one man island of sorts?
Floating in the sea, you stand united~ without partners or allies, fighting a one man battle?
Sometimes parenting can feel this way. Full of feelings of fear, frustration, exhaustion and bewilderment, you try to make the next best decision for the people you are responsible for. At times, you settle into a season of calm and yet others times are full of waves that seem to take you down with the turning of each tide. Getting your head above the water can feel relentless as you drown in despair.
I feel this way right now with a child that I can not reach. Despite a loving home and stable environment , we can not get out from under this cloud of negativity. Is it me? Is it our dynamic? Is it him? There seem to be no easy answers.
Day in and day out, I parent, I give, I love, I discipline and I care. But it is not enough. What is missing from this equation, I ask myself? What else can I possibly do?
When I sit back and think, I realize I am missing one key ingredient~the yeast in the bread, the sugar in the cake, the milk in the pudding…
I am missing prayer.
Not just any kind of prayer, I mean FERVENT prayer…the get down on your knees and cry out to God kind of prayer.
The most key element in any equation of life, is steadfast prayer. The type of prayer that seeks to touch the hand of Jesus as he guides you into the unfamiliar and the unknown wilderness.
But how do I do this, I wonder?
Well I can start with being intentional.
I can carve out 3 minutes of every morning to dedicate to prayer to this one child that needs it more than the others do right now. I can cry out to God for help, direction and perseverance. When I grow weary, I can look to him as my source of strength.
And one day, when I get through the storm with this particular child, there will likely be another child of mine having difficulty. And with good spiritual discipline, this practice can translate to prayer time for that other wayward child. The time will be carved out, the words poised, my heart positioned– for prayer and petition to my Heavenly Father.
For I know that he is the only one that can separate me from isolation during difficulty.
Look to the Lord and his strength, seek his face always. 1 Chronicles 16:11
The Lord is our greatest allie, our most equipped partner and strongest team member. With him, we are never alone; our hands are made clean, our hearts pure and our methods holy, as we seek his face in all that we do…be it parenting or life in general.
SPIRITGIRL 