Luke and I have been working together to decide on the verses we’re memorizing throughout the year. This month, when I asked Luke if he had any suggestions for our August verse, his response was, “Um. . . something about parenting?” This wasn’t the specific (or original) idea I’d been looking for, but it was a start. I decided to turn to my copy of Praying the Scriptures for Your Children (<—an awesome book!) for some additional inspiration, and in thumbing through the book’s pages I came across this passage from Colossians.

This past week with Charlie has been a challenging one, filled with sleepless nights and a baby who is content to spend hours on end in our arms, and nowhere else. At times it has been frustrating, but it is also gratifying to know that my child longs to be nurtured by me, and that I am capable of satisfying all of his needs. This won’t always be the case. There will come a day when Charlie’s troubles will exceed my ability to fix them. He will face hardship and heartache, and nothing that Mommy does or says will be able to ease his pain. My heart breaks at the thought of Charlie shedding tears that I am unable, or unavailable, to wipe away.

Fortunately, we serve a God who is ALWAYS present in our times of pain. The Lord has been there for me in my weakest moments, and He will be there for Charlie in those instances when I can’t be. It is my fervent prayer that Charlie grows to know and serve this Heavenly Father who will never abandon him. I pray that Charlie turns to God whenever the world feels dark and unmanageable. I pray that he learns to seek God’s will for his life, and that he allows the Lord to use him to further His kingdom.

My prayer for Charlie is echoed in these verses from Colossians, and this month, these words will be in my mind and heart as I soothe Charlie’s temporary pains and place his future trials in God’s ever-capable hands.