Praying Beyond "Protect My Children"

There are moments when I am acutely reminded that I am a mother of a little boy, like last Monday when he:
  1. Dumped all the toys out of a small blue box and dragged it across the floor so he can use it to climb onto the couch. Once on the couch, he proceeded to run and jump along it. Upon discovery by his Mother, the blue box was confiscated and he was removed from the couch. With Mom gone for a moment, he elected to begin the whole process again with a laundry basket.
  2. Grabbed a gratefulness count-down-to-Christmas paper chain from his sister and ripped it to smithereens. Mommy chucked the remnants into the garbage with an exasperated sigh. So much for that idea.
  3. Tore his favourite book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle for the umpteenth time (almost every page in that book has been repaired in some way by Mommy or Daddy). Book was shelved for its next repair session. Note to self: board books are wise investments for little boys.
  4. Pulled the tablecloth off the table causing one of Mom's favourite candle holder to come crashing down to the floor and shattering into many pieces. Mom freaked out. Dad cleaned up the mess. The little boy was put into the crib.
  5. Poor little boy's day was spent observing various time-outs and consequences. Isn't it hard to believe that the toddler in the above picture could do all this and more?
I am sure you can understand why I often beg the Lord to protect my boy. There are days, like the day I described, when I worry over future accidents. Hey, after all, he has already jumped out of his crib! Thankfully he landed on his back instead of his head (since then, we lowered the crib even more). What crazy antic am I bracing for next?

Yet I've been pondering about the whole idea of praying for protection. I don't think it is wrong to pray for protection and to subsequently thank God for the protection He provides. However, I am beginning to understand that it is shortsighted to JUST pray for protection. There are times when God will NOT shield us from hurt and pain, for whatever reason. We will experience pain, sorrow, grief, anguish, and devastation. And some of us will experience more of it than others. And I am not sure why. But does that mean that God is some sadistic deity who thrives at seeing his minions suffer? I don't believe so.

Therefore, what should I pray for my son in addition to God's gracious protection? After all, my son will probably break a few bones or receive several stitches. He will experience heartache when the girl of his dreams rejects him. He will be overwhelmed by the grief of death. He will suffer guilt and shame for his mistakes. How do I desire for my son, and my daughter for that matter, to react in such circumstances?

Here is part of my answer: I desire that my children will realize that God's grace is sufficient for them and that His power will be made perfect in their weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). I pray that my children will be convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate them from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39). I hope my children will not claim to be without sin, thereby deceiving themselves and being void of truth. Rather, I long for my children to realize their sinfulness and to embrace these words, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness," (1 John 1:8-9). In the end, as much as it terrifies me, I ask the Lord to remove moments of "protection" from the lives of my children, my husband, and I so we may ALL experience the grace, the power, the love, and the forgiveness of Creator God.

That's an excruciatingly difficult prayer to offer God with true sincerity. Oh, how it wish I could just delete the concluding sentence of the previous paragraph! But in faith, I will not.

Thus, I ask you: how do you pray for your loved ones? I'd like to hear your ideas.

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