Battles are Fought

This weekend with Handsome K traveling, I found myself on a day trip about 90 miles away going to a friend’s graduation party.  I was simply marveling in my own success while driving with Baby K appropriately taking his morning nap, Princess K and Little K quietly plugged into the headphones watching an educational DVD, and having only left 45 minutes past what I had planned. 

I was singing about life being a great adventure along with one of my favorite musicians and then it happened…

I often believe I have some kind of control over my babies safety, life choices, or anything for that matter.

But I don’t.

I can’t foresee and prevent everything unsafe from ever happening to them.  That doesn’t mean I won’t stop teaching them how to make good choices that honor God or that I won’t attempt to keep them as safe as humanly possible, but there are many things I cannot premeditate.

Up from the back of my mommy “safe” van, right behind Little K’s head, a yellow jacket suddenly appeared hovering near my boy’s head as if to say, “I will do whatever I want and you cannot stop me from way up there, he’s out of your reach.”  I saw that potential harm-inflicting insect in my rear-view mirror and let out a gasp. 

Of which none of the K’s heard due to the sleeping and headphones.

For about 2 seconds, I was paralyzed with the fact that the stinger of that bug was about to harm my children.  I luckily snapped out of my 2 second coma and reacted by pushing the button to roll down the window nearest my baby’s heads.

I got a couple of funny looks, but they weren’t curious enough to even peel their ears away from the dinosaurs teaching them about fossils. 

I wanted to see it get sucked out the window so that I could breathe easy and know that they were safe, but taking my eyes off the road for that long wasn’t an option.  I left the window open for a few minutes and hadn’t seen any signs of the harmful insect anywhere.  I rolled it up and said a silly but heartfelt prayer of, “protect my kids from harm.”

I paused a minute and thought, how many harmful things are lurking around them and by the power of a simple heartfelt prayer a supernatural battle is waged, unseen but real.

I read “This Present Darkness” probably a decade ago and I don’t think about the wars going on in the spiritual realm very often…I’m kind of one with simple faith living in 2D most of the time. 

But I was reminded about the power of prayer on a 2-lane highway driving through the wheat fields this weekend. 

Handsome K’s mom gave him a canvas for Father’s Day right after our 2^nd was born.  It is a picture of a father praying beside the bed of his sleeping child, and in the faint background sky out of the window of the child’s room you can see a battle.  I remember going to a local bookstore when I was younger and looking at this exact painting.  I wondered what battles are being fought on my behalf simply because of people’s prayers.  I wanted to be that kind of parent that prays fervently for my family. 

God says in James 5:16 that “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” 

What battles are being won on my kid’s behalf because of my prayers for them.

Cry out to the Lord on behalf of the little people in my life.

Cry out often.

When those yellow jackets appear lurking behind my kids I hope that my first instinct is always found where I have the most defense…on my knees.

New Life in Christ

Saturday was a moment in my life that I will never forget.

Saturday sunny and cool, a day with our family, being outside together working around the yard...it was a good day, later on it was the best day.

Little K has been asking questions and a few days ago said he wanted to ask Jesus into his heart, but wanted to wait until his dad was home. So we talked with him on our front porch at our house on April 28, 2012.

He said all that showed he has the faith of a child, faith I can learn a lot from.

Said all the things that are sometimes hard for grown-ups to believe, but he said them very confident and matter-of-fact...

Then said he didn't want to do it right now and walked away.

About an hour later, I had thought it was over, but Little K said, “Mom, I want to ask Jesus into my heart right now.”

Those words are seared into my mind...on my heart...just typing it now makes me smile.

Praying on our front porch with my son and my husband...a holy moment happened.

My oldest son, whom I have prayed almost every night of his life that he'd “be a man of God and the words he speaks be truth,” chose to trust in what is unseen, to give his life to something bigger than himself, to believe that Jesus is who he said he is.

I love that boy.

I'm so thankful, my heart overflows.

He is a new creation, the old is gone the new has come.

There was a party in Heaven on Saturday for one little lost sheep was found, one little 6 year old boy made the decision of his life.

He decided to follow Jesus....

And I look forward to watching and praying for him the rest of my life to see what plans God has for him.

Thank you God for saving my son. Thank you God for making him whole and loving him and forgiving him. Help him to move and learn and grow closer to you all the days of his life. May his little light always glorify you!

The Words that End Our Day

Every night...

We pray for Little K, that like Elijah he would be a man of God and the words he speaks will be truth. That he will tell others of how much God loves them and believe it for himself as well. That he would be a truth teller and love God with his heart, mind and strength. That he will be a leader, confident in who God has made him to be. That God would protect his innocence and his integrity.

We pray for Princess K, that like Hannah she would know that prayer is the most important conversation she can have because it's talking to God. That she will trust God with her deepest desires and longings. That God will protect her passions and her purity. That God will give me the patience to parent an emotional girl, that God would give Handsome K and I the wisdom to build her self-confidence and self-awareness so that she knows she's beautiful on the inside, not based on her outward appearance. Simply because God made her.

We pray for Baby K, that like Isaac trusted Abraham, he would trust his Father to provide all that he needs. That he will believe that God cares about all parts of our lives. That God is worthy to be praised even if things don't make sense. That even when the way of provision doesn't seem obvious he will trust God. That God would bring him to maturity in his faith.

I pray that they will be more like God and somehow I will have the patience, wisdom, and endurance to run this race for the prize ahead. That they wouldn't be like me, but like God. That one day during my lifetime I will see each of them give their hearts to Jesus. To believe with all their hearts, to love our Creator with all their being.

I pray that they will dance. Right now they are watching a mouse do ballet...but I really mean dance. Experience life to the full. And never loose their sense of wonder. That they pursue big things with big faith because they believe in a big God. That life would be all that they want it to be. That in the struggles and hard times they would be driven to their Savior and in the happy, easy times they would thank their Father in Heaven.

Pray in everything, in all things, at all times...it's okay God's listening.