Scripture to pray over your kids as they embark on another school year

 

Many are the plans in a {Mother's} heart,
but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. 

~ Proverbs 19:21

 

 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

~Galatians 5:16

 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

~ Proverbs 3:5-6

 

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. 

~ Joshua 1:9

 

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.

~1 Samuel 16:7

 

God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you"..

~ Hebrews 13:5

 

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

~Isaiah 30:21

 

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: " I  have loved you with an everlasting love, I have drawn you with loving-kindness."

~ Jeremiah 31:3

 

 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 

~1Corinthians16:13

 

Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble.                                                                                                                                             ~Proverbs 3:23

 

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve

~1 Peter 5:2

Know also that wisdom is like honey for you:
If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.                                                                               ~ Proverbs 24:14

 

 

 

 

Prayers of Thanksgiving

 

Lord, you gave us these children for a season, and though we love them with all our hearts can hold, our love is limited; YOUR  love, however, is limitless, and we thank you for giving us the privilege of raising these children.

 

·      Many are the plans in a {Mother's} heart,
but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. 

          ~ Proverbs 19:21

Thank you for their health, for their zest for life, even though it often times leaves us tired and spent at the end of the day. Thank you for their eagerness to grow, to explore, to learn..

·      Know also that wisdom is like honey for you:
If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.                            ~ Proverbs 24:14

Your love is what they need to sustain them as we release them into a world that is unknown. Thank you for giving Your love so freely to ALL of your children.

 

·      The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: " I  have loved you with an everlasting love, I have drawn you with loving-kindness."

          ~ Jeremiah 31:3

·      God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you"..

          ~ Hebrews 13:5

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Prayers of Blessing

Lord, pour out Your blessings on our children and all those they encounter when they leave our hands this school year.

·      Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

          ~Isaiah 30:21

Please bless their teachers, that they may see and appreciate each of our kids for the unique little people they are. Pour Your grace out on the staff who endure all kinds of "baggage" from the many kids who enter their building each day, and whose hearts are exposed daily to weariness we can only imagine.

·      Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve

          ~1 Peter 5:2

 

Shine Your love down on the drivers of the buses, who are only with our kids for a little bit each day, but that little bit is so very crucial. Bless the drivers with steady hands and patient hearts.

 

·      Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble.                                                                                                                                             ~Proverbs 3:23

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Prayers of Petition

 

Lord, these are YOUR babies first, ours second. Help them to be free from doubt, to be secure in YOUR love when they are faced with fear or pressure that makes them unsure. 

 

·      Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

          ~ Proverbs 3:5-6

 

 

Keep them on Your solid ground, Father. Guide them to find their identity in YOUR eyes, not in the eyes of the world.

 

·      The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.

          ~1 Samuel 16:7

 

Please give them courage to stand strong in their faith, Lord. They will be tested, no doubt. You and the truth in Your word will be their sword and shield.

 

·      Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 

     ~1Corinthians16:13

 

We ask  for you to provide them discernment in choosing their friends; we pray they seek to not only FIND good roles models, but to BE good role models. We pray for strong, peaceful relationships with their peers and their teachers.  You have crowned them with glory and honor, Lord, as I say again, they were Yours before they were mine.  Lead them in their daily steps.

 

·      Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. 

          ~ Joshua 1:9

 

Father, we ask that You send the Holy Spirit to fill our children, so that when they are faced with a difficult choice, that they might seek Your voice first before heeding to their own desire.

 

·      So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

          ~Galatians 5:16

 

 Finally, I ask that you pour out your blessings on the women here, and those who are not, specifically, we lift up to you, Lord, our friends Erin and her boys Liam and Noah; Julia, and her children Taylor and Chet, for Susan as she sets out to teach another year at IUP, Grace and Emma, her girls, Karen's Aunt Nancy, who is also embarking on another (long) year of teaching, Liz and Katie and all their homeschoolers (Rowan, Sawyer, Adam, Hannah, Zeke and Ellie), and Nicole and her girls, Diana, Simone and Camille, as she heeds your voice in her schooling choices this year.

 

Lord, thank you for drawing these women into my world, for taking care of me, your child, as I seek to take care of the children you have entrusted to me. These women have added light to my days, and for that, I am grateful.  I ask that you lift each of us today, comfort our tears, hold our hearts as we continue to be pruned in this process of letting go. May our conversations today and every day be always for Your glory! We lift these prayers to you, in joy and love and fellowship with one another, all in the name of our Savior, Jesus!

 

Happy Mother's Day, a bit early! I'll be celebrating Mom's day this year with my youngest sis in law and her newly wedded husband, so I thought I'd share this little tidbit from a few years back, when I wrote for the Pennwood Farms Newsletter:)  This was over four years ago, but the memory is still quite vivid!

4/20/08

 The Dandelion Diaries

Four chubby hands shoved fistfuls of bright yellow flowers at me this past week.  The smiles on the faces of my two youngest, both boys, were as sunshine filled as the yellow in the vile weed they clutched in their hands.  Ironically, I was, at that very moment, plotting how to destroy the insidious weeds that were creeping onto our freshly mowed lawn.

The boys would run, barefoot, across the grass, and painstakingly pick one flower at a time. They would trek the entire length of the lot to get the furthest flower, and then run full speed back to the deck, ready and willing to present me with their treasure. “E’re da go, mom; dese foe you!” my 3 year old shouted.  “Momma, wook!!!” squealed my 2 year old with excitement.  This process was repeated until my Dixie cup runneth over with dandelions, some root and all (Thank you, boys!!)

Now up till that moment, my day was filled with “to do” lists, and my mind was revisiting some conversations that left my heart weary.  And in one blissful second, my sweet little boys changed my heart, and the course of my day, and in turn, the way I chose to interact with everyone else from that point on.  I certainly saw the glimpse of Jesus in their eyes as they pulled me out of doldrums of simply “doing” life instead of “living” life. 

I settled my racing thoughts, stopped pouring over the “to do” list (and put down the weed killer!) to allow the beauty of spiritual pruning by a couple of dirty, noisy, weed toting little boys.  And in that moment, I felt the weeds in my day shrivel, as I realized the true beauty of what was before me.  I allowed myself to find the joy that was anxiously knocking at my heart. And you know what? I even picked a couple of those weeds myself! 

I won’t lie; it’s not always roses in my house. Babies get sick; friends go through crisis; family struggles rage on.  The dandelions continue to pop up; that’s life.  I’m simply learning the difference between pulling desperately at the weeds, trying to rid them all, and pruning the weeds so that they may be turned into something more meaningful and perhaps, even beautiful…

 

By the way, no little seedlings will come from my yard to yours!  I have a “picked clean”  yard and 3 vases filled with bright yellow “flowers”!

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus"

                                          ~ 1Thessalonians 5: 16-18

Father, whisper your sweet saving grace into my soul today, that I might be renewed to be joyful always. Thank you for the little moments, even the challenging ones, that affirm who I am- a daughter, sister, wife, mother and friend. Be with the mothers who struggle, who grieve, who are lonely, who yearn for more; I pray they find your guiding light. And gently remind me, when I try to do this "motherhood" thing on my own, that YOU are what I need to survive the crazy insane moments that test my spirit. Thank you Lord for blessing me with the title "Mom".  

Happy Mother's Day to all, whether you are a mom or love some one like a mother loves, may your day be blessed and renewed in HIM!

Snow White and the 8th Dwarf, Frumpy

Some of you know my heart's desire is to write a book someday. And while I can spin a thousand tales to my husband as to why I just backed the van into the 1/2 opened garage door (true story...from about 24 hours ago) or create a virtual miniseries for my kids on a car ride while sitting in stop and go traffic, my writing strength does NOT lie in novel writing. Instead, I am passionate about writing about what I know. And these days, that consists of being a wife, mother, daughter, sister, niece, and friend.  Entertaining, yes, sometimes; earth moving, maybe not so much.

So I revert back to what I know again: the tales of life as I know it, how I interpret those tales, and what it looks like at the end of the day when I turn to God to give it all back to Him (the good and the bad!). I tell you this, so you know as you read this, you are reading my heart, a mini-devotional I'm concocting, complete with my heart's prayer and even a verse or two that struck me as "just right". I'll admit, I feel a wee bit vulnerable sharing this with you. It's my dream of the "book I'll write someday" and a little glimpse of how it comes together from my scattered creative thoughts to this little old typeface on the Internet. BUT, again, if you know me, I tend to jump in head first, so whatever it makes me "feel", I still want to share it with you!

Hope it brightens your day, and hope you realize, if you've taken the time to read this, you've taken the time to know me and my heart a wee bit more. Frumpy thanks you!~

(I wrote this little snippit a while back, in another lifetime, it seems, but it still applies, no matter where I live or how old the kids have gotten. Or how many more pairs of yoga pants I have purchased since this original writing!)

SNOW WHITE AND THE 8TH DWARF, FRUMPY

We’ve all heard that wonderful fairy tale that begins with wickedness in the form of an apple, throws in a couple of animated small woodsmen, and ends with a prince and happily ever after.   

And while I'm not a betting woman, I'm willing to wager we all have that One friend…the One who is always put together, her house is in order, her children are behaved and well mannered, she’s involved in all the school and community organizations and is never late to a meeting, she remembers your birthday and your anniversary and even makes you a gift, and she’s got a home cooked meal on the table every night.

Next to her at the bus stop, you in your yoga pants and stained t-shirt, she in her khakis and well matched accessories (like she stepped off of a Pinterest board) you just can’t help but feel inadequate.

 (And I'm strangely reminded of a Taylor Swift ballad...but I stray from topic). 

Let me introduce you to the princess, the One: meet Snow White:  And me? I’m her friend, Frumpy. I'd shake your hand, but it's currently been the holding place for the contents of the youngest child's misguided sneeze. 

Now please don’t misconstrue my thoughts as ones of envy. In fact, I’m quite content in my yoga pants, and truth be told, Snow White’s daily grind makes me rather tired just thinking about all she accomplishes. But she can pull it off daily, and STILL be a wonderful friend to Frumpy.

And over coffee one day, she shares with me how much she wishes she could be like me. WHAT?! Yes, you heard it correct. She desires to have more of MY qualities, I desire to have more of hers. And right there in my kitchen, God has taught us (and will continue to teach us over many more cups of coffee together) that we are exactly who we are supposed to be in Him.

He’s given us all we need to be who we are, and part of who I need is my Snow White. Just like she needs me, frumpiness and all. We are here to lift each other to God, to share in the joys and woes of mothering, and to love each other, plain and simple.

Now THAT'S a happily ever after I can live with, especially since I get to stay in my yoga pants!

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Lord, thank you for my qualities that make me uniquely me. Help me to appreciate my own characteristics and to not covet those characteristics that uniquely make up my friends. Pull back the blinds to allow me to see how You intricately blend my friendships to form a wonderful support system, and guide me to know what the desires of Your heart are for me and those friendships I foster. Be the source of truth in my relationships, and let our bonds be built on those of Your solid foundation of love and grace. 

1 Samuel 16:7

But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected them. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."