Teaching Faith

Tonight Haley asked me to pray over her before she went to bed.  This isn't a rare occurrence at my house.  And I can't say no to that, from any of my kids.  I think as parents, our kids learn to love God or ignore him from us. To have faith that God can move mountains or to doubt from us. So I take every opportunity, especially an invitation to pray, and run with it. I pray very purposefully so that they hear my heart and it re-establishes the things we have taught them about God and his love and how valuable they are to him and to us.  Because every kid needs reassurance, especially mine.

And then she asked me to pray for her biological parents. Haley is very concerned about her parents' salvation.  Because she loves them and always will.  They are, after all, her parents. So I pray for them. That God will send someone to tell them about His love for them. So they can have the opportunity to choose to serve God.  So they can go to heaven.

After I walked away, I began to wonder why she asks me to pray. Part of it is the affirmation she gets from her request. But the other part is that she sees faith.  Faith that doesn't give up, even when it doesn't seem like God is moving. Faith that is based on God's word and promises and not on the circumstances.

I am in no way some super Christian who sees God move every time I ask him for something. But I have been serving God long enough to know that he does hear me. And my faith does not waver when I don't get my way or when I feel like my prayers are hitting the ceiling. And God is always faithful. And that is what she sees in me.

Honestly, I have moments where I feel like my efforts to teach my kids to live and love like Jesus does is pointless. And then God reminds me that the effort is worth it.  That the seeds are being planted and he is watering it and letting it grow up in them.  Praise God!