Back to School.
Summer is grinding to a close and days by the pool are done. The family vacation is stored away in the scrapbook, with pictures of smiles in the sun. Facebook posts are filled with back to school pictures, and the kids are growing up. Babies are now off to kindergarden, while pre-school buddies are now seniors in high school. First day of the rest of our lives, the new year opens wide with opportunities and anticipation.
Back to College
This week, we’ve been doing a bit of back-to-schooling of our own. Sunday, I took my daughter back to college, moving into her first apartment. My son is packing as I write and leaves tomorrow. I think how empty the house will feel when they are gone, and I am so grateful that my youngest still has a little time before leaving the nest.
The future seems big.
This week, we’ve had lots of conversations about the new school year, and there has been a little anxiety about what the future holds. For my sophomore, she is feeling the weight of making that perfect decision about college majors.
Wanting to find her purpose and passion in life listed in the course selection of the college catalog–she fights the pressure of making big decisions. I understand. I remember my own sophomore year, wondering, what am I going to do with my life?
My son, has just come home from the summer-of-a-lifetime working at an amazing special needs camp in Washington state. Home long enough to do his laundry, fix his glasses, and pack the car, he’s feeling that uncomfortable transition of back to the responsibility of finishing his senior year.
The end in sight, questions for the future sit hard as the real world beckons. Graduate schools, finishing strong, and finding career paths, are all coming up quickly and he knows it. He knows how fast this last year is going to fly.
For me, I am excited for them as they discover their way, but I fight the temptation to worry.
Have we taught them enough? Are they be ready to be on their own? Why is one growing in faith and the other seem to be pulling away? I sense the awkward emotional energy of wanting to hang on but knowing it is time to let go.
All of a sudden the world feels too big. I fight down my mama-worries. Early this morning, I greet the day with my heart ready to pray. [tweetthis hidden_hashtags=”#parentspray, #parentsofteens”]I cover them in prayer as these kids grow up and go out.[/tweetthis]
It’s hard to let go.
Part of me still wants to kiss boo boos and smooth foreheads. Â IÂ still want to help solve problems, be there to give guidance, and be part of their daily world.
But it’s time.
It’s time to let go and cheer them on from the distance. It’s time to trust them to make wise decisions and live for the right reasons. It’s time to let them learn from mistakes and grow from struggles.
[tweetthis hidden_hashtags=”#parentspray #parentingteens”]They are ready and they will fly.[/tweetthis]
So as they leave, I smile at the days to come, and I pray like crazy. For though I am not there to watch over them, I am confident in the One who goes with them.
This morning I am praying for the spiritual foundation in my young adult children. I am watering the seeds of faith we’ve planted in their lives. May God may guard and grow faith strong and real this year. May He prepare them to launch into life. I invite you to join me in praying for the children in your life.
Prayers for our children:
Bless our children with  wise and godly counsel. Teach them the difference between the false wisdom of the world and the true wisdom of God. Keep them from sinful choices and lifestyles, from things that will harm them or lure them off course. Bless them with boundaries you have set and do not let them stray.
May our children choose of their own accord to live out your Word. May they value your Word. Keep your thoughts in their minds. Grow our children grow strong in faith and may they prosper and bear great fruit.
As our children prepare for adulthood, may it come from the strong foundation of hope and confidence in you. Show them your faithfulness and guide their hearts to a confident faith.
Motivate our children to keep their hearts pure. May they seek you with a personal desire to live life with you. Make real to them what they have been taught, and don’t let them wander  away in this wild world.
Thank you now for the work you are doing in these young hearts. Work in our children in an amazing way. Make your hand on their lives visible to them and to others.
May they know that you are always present, and may they believe you will do wonderful things with their lives. Strengthen and breathe life into the faith we have taught them, and may they grow strong in character and faith as you prepare them for the future.
Continue to teach our children as they go forward into the world. Guide their decisions and lead them on a level path, with the stability of faith that is their own.
Thank you that you can to more that we could ever ask in the lives of our children. Work within, guiding and working with power and grace.
Add to this post by sharing a verse and prayer for our children in the comments below. [tweetthis]Let’s join together in the power of praying strong faith in to the lives of our children.[/tweetthis]
I’m linking with Three Word Wednesday, Tell His Story, Coffee for Your Heart, and Whatever is Lovely.
So glad you're here. I help busy women—gals like you— build healthy habits for living well with biblical wisdom and practical steps to deepen your faith, increase your hope, and thrive in your purpose.
Ginger, my children have lost their religious upbringing, although I would say that they are spiritual.
I wonder if they will find their way back and will I ever see this day. I hope they are just “on leave” but still under God’s careful watch. My prayer is that they do see and feel the Lord working in their lives, and acknowledge his grace. I appreciate if anyone can pray for them and me too because Jesus said “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
Lord all of us who read this post join Deb in praying for her wonderful children. The seeds of Christ have been planted in their lives and watered with faithful prayer. We join Deb in praying that her children will open their eyes and “come to their senses” and come home to their Father. (Luke 15). We pray that you will encourage this precious mom as she trusts in You.
Thank you so much for the honor of sharing your heart with us.
I’ve raised two adult children who love and serve the Lord. For this, I am truly grateful. My two younger are still finding their way but I have no doubt they will find it. What an exciting time for your kids!
Lord, guide and bless these young hearts. Draw them to you in the ways that perfectly fit the way you have made each of them. You know the best way and the best time to bring the compelling conviction of truth and grace. Thank you for the strong prayers of parents–speak your prayers for our children through us. Barbie, thank you for the reminder that this is an exciting time. It truly is, and it is a joy to see them coming into their own.
Beautiful prayer! Just getting started with my little ones, but I pray I can help them get off to a good start in their faith and in making wise decisions about their path in life. I can already see how hard a job that is for parents!
Ginger, this post was beautiful. It can be so hard to let go but looking back I realize how true this was . . . “They are ready and they will fly.” And they will stumble but they will grow. My children are not believers yet but daily I witness how God is softening their hearts and I just keep on praying. Thank you for sharing with Three Word Wednesday. I am truly enjoying getting to know you better. (p.s. Got your message. I will take a closer look and get back to you. Thank you for reaching out.) Blessings. xoxo
Lord, Work with power in the hearts and minds of these young people. Open their eyes to your hand on their lives and may they soon know the joy of the Lord in a real and personal way. Beth, thank you for sharing, and I pray for God to continue to encourage you as you cover them in prayer. I love the idea that those that read this post, whether they comment or not, can join in prayer. How powerful and precious this is!
My children are grown. One with children of her own. They believe in God and in all the beautiful blessings around us that have been supplied to us by Him. I suppose I am blessed that they have followed in my footsteps by keeping Him at the front of their thoughts in what has become such a dismal time.
What joy to see the legacy of the Lord extending into the next generations! Thanks so much for stopping by today!
A beautiful and heartfelt post, Ginger! I want to pray for all the kids going back to school, and I know some of what to pray. But this post shows me what to pray for from a mom’s perspective and from Scripture. Thank you. 🙂 May God bless your children as they venture out into the world, and may He go with them, before them, and behind them!
Thanks Katy. It’s interesting how your perspective changes with different seasons of life. I am grateful you are joining in praying for my children, as well as many others. Thanks for your thoughts today.
I have 7 children and I pray for them all daily and every night. But I have noticed and realized that all of my children are different in ways and have their own personalities. My second oldest son is 19 years old and he has been in and out of Juvenile since he was 14 years old and he is still in and out of jail. He has took me through much in life, where it has drained me and stressed me out. But with GOD anything is possible and with prayer things work out in your favor. I have came to my senses now that I have to let my son go and put him in GOD hands and continue to pray over him. I can’t keep stressing over him because it is time for me to stay grounded and show him that it is time for him make better decisions in life and decide on what he wants to do with his life. Dear Heavenly Father, I hope and pray that you watch over my children and the children of this world. I pray that you keep them grounded and protected at all times and lead them down right path. Cover them wall with your blessings and guide them with each and every step of the way. In your name Lord. Amen
Dahlia, it is heart-breaking to have a child who is making poor choices in life. God is working in the details, even when we cannot see or understanding what, how, or why. Thank you for sharing a beautiful prayer and how you are handling the challenge! Praying for your son as well.
Dahlia, what a beautiful pray for our children from the heart of a mother who has walked through many hard times with a child. I pray God will bless your son with his favor of putting thoughts and people around him who will turn him to God and toward a life of wisdom. May God mature, save, and equip your son to reach the full potential God has for him. Blessings to you!