Is it Possible To Micromanage as a Parent?

The other day after coming home from the library, I was mentally exhausted. First, I am so thankful for a husband who is patient with me especially when I try to communicate...sometimes it takes a very long time. :P But anyways, that is another blog post. The reason I was so frustrated and mentally exhausted was because the whole time we were there, I felt like I was constantly telling Levi not to do something.

Ever Afraid to Pray? I am...Here's why

I want to be honest about something and maybe this confession will help others as well. Sometimes I am afraid to pray. I know this sounds silly to most of you, so let me explain.

The Power of Prayer

I was listening to the radio last night on my way home from work and the talk show host was talking about how if you pray that you loose 20 pounds God isn't just going to have you wake up 20 pounds lighter. But that got me thinking, why not pray to God for weight loss? He cares about every area of your life no matter how large or small. And, He is fully capable of making you loose weight over night, though just from looking at history and how He has worked before, I don't think that He will, though He totally could. But He can help you to become disciplined and loose the weight. Then that got me thinking even more. lol Have you ever prayed for something but then get discouraged and quit asking God to help you in that area? I know I get like that a LOT. Or I will fail, get discouraged and quit praying about it.

When I was little, I had always dreamed of getting a horse. I was horse crazy for sure. It was to the point where my mom would stop the car whenever we would pass a field or a pasture with horses in it just so I could look at them. My mom is awesome. :) Well, I determined that I wanted a horse. So I started praying. I forget how old I was, but I was young. I prayed and prayed. Not only did I pray, but I would ask others to pray for me. I remember at our old church, I would go into the library on our way home and tell the librarian that I still didn't have my horse, but if she would keep praying that God would send me one, I would appreciate it. I did this all faithfully week after week. Ah, the faith of a child! When I turned 11, I was blessed with my first horse. I prayed for at least 4 years for a horse. 4 years! You would think that a young kid like I was, would get discouraged and give up, but for some reason, I had faith and just kept asking God. Now, I am not saying that God is a genie that will give you anything you pray for, but what I am saying is that we shouldn't get discouraged when our prayers don't seem to be answered right away. Maybe the answer is no. Maybe the answer is yes. Or maybe the answer is wait which it was for me.

Another example of praying is how I used to pray for my "future husband." Some nights I would be in tears praying that God would guide him and protect him and draw him closer to Him. I would pray for him almost every night. After John and I started dating, we both realized that during that time that I was praying for him, he was going through some really rough stuff and he started turning his life around. While he was struggling, I was praying for him not knowing who he was nor why I had such a heavy burden to pray for him. God is awesome. I think He uses prayer sometimes to mainly change us and show us that he is in control. That He's got this and we need to trust Him. It's so awesome to see prayer answered.

What have you been praying for that you are starting to get discouraged about? Don't give up. God hears you and He ALWAYS answers. It may be a yes, a no, or a wait, my child. Either way, He will answer and it will be in your best interest and it will bring Him glory. Don't give up. Keep on praying. Keep praying for that future husband or wife, keep praying for that friend to turn his life around and come to Christ, keep praying that the longings of your heart be fulfilled, keep praying that you will learn to be more patient and Christ-like. Don't give up my friend; lean on God.

Being Aware of Answered Prayers

I have been praying for John and his work for a while, not as consistently as I should be though I’ll admit. I had been praying that he would get some listings and that things would start to pick up. Well, he came home the other day and told me that he was hosting his very own open house this upcoming Sunday. My first reaction was to pray that it went well and he was able to get his name out there and get some potential clients. It is on a very busy road so he’s sure to get lots of people stopping in to check out the house.

Then it hit me. I had prayed that things would start to be more productive at work. And guess what, they did! But instead of praising God and thanking Him for not only providing but answering my prayers, I just asked Him for more things. How selfish of me! He had provided! He deserved to be thanked and praised! I sat right down and thanked Him for being providing such wonderful things and for taking care of us. He is so awesome.

Then, a few other things happened as well that are exciting. God is definitely providing.

So the point that I learned is we need to be aware of what God is doing in our lives. He is always working. When we pray for something, remember that He ALWAYS answers and we need to be thankful for His answers. I find it so easy to take for granted the blessings that He provides but to notice the negative that is in my life. I need to be more aware of the blessings and to shower my wonderful Lord with praise and thanksgiving for those things.

Praying that this lesson sticks with me and that I become more and more grateful. God rocks! Let’s make sure we tell Him that and that others know as well! :)