Sunday, August 21, 2011

Prayer for my daughter

As many of you know, my only daughter is heading to college tomorrow.  She keeps being told, "you know your parents are going to miss you."  We are pretty sure she knows that so we don't need to belabor that point.  (FYI.  belabor is my word of the week).  It is an understood thing.  But missing her and her missing us confirms that we have a great relationship as parents and child and it is something we are proud of.  But as I think of this day, I have other thoughts and I thought I'd like my raving fans (all two of you) in on them in the form of a prayer.

Father,

I am grateful to you for this beautiful child you have given me and DH.  She has grown into a beautiful and mature young woman, and I hope we have done as You wished in raising her.

She does, however, have some qualities we could have skipped but could have been skipped in us as well... my messiness and short-temper, her father's love for exceedingly bad corny jokes, the foot shake (arg) and I could go on but in all honesty, they are part of who she is, and I just wouldn't change anything about her.

How could we know this perfect baby with intensely blue eyes would become a gifted musician?  A trusted mentor?  A beloved sister?  How could we know she could be a woman after Your own heart and strive with everything in her to live a life that is righteous and pleasing in your sight?  I am humbled beyond words at the privilege of raising this woman.

So, Lord, as she makes her first steps away, I pray she continues to seek Your will in her life.  I pray she finds friends who will make a midnight run to Waffle House when her heart is broken, share their chocolate when hers is gone, and enjoy her weird sense of humor (Did you know she has a collection of blonde jokes?) I pray Your presence in her life is evident to everyone she comes in contact with.  I pray she finds a love like the one her daddy has for me - true, unconditional, sacrificial love.

Thank you Lord for my girl.  Protect her when she is away from us and help her find her direction in this earthly life.

A grateful mom

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Back to School

I am in the throes of pre-planning right now... reminding myself what did and did not work in the class I taught last year and figuring out the in's and out's of my new prep this year.  We wait in line at the copier and pray it doesn't jam, run out of toner or just be irritable.  We have lunch provided most days this week and breakfast this morning.  We sort paper, make lists, clean desks, make sure our supplies are in place, and on days when there are no meetings (like today), we stay in our windowless cave of a classroom and try to be as productive as possible.  It sounds pretty boring and mundane, doesn't it?

Not really.

You see, I work in a place that tries to glorify Jesus Christ and teach our students about him.  You can't do that well unless you believe in that saving relationship.  Part of it is being in fellowship, and I have to say, these people are my family.  We get support.  We give support.  We laugh together.  We cry together.  But mostly importantly, when we need one another, we are there and business stops and prayer happens.

And in all this we are being prepared to love on our students when they come on Monday.  It's all in a day's work, and I'm ready for tomorrow.