Relaxing, on my knees

Today this mother of four sent her two oldest youth children off to church camp.
Boo- hoo- hoo-hee-hoo-ha-ha-hee-yea-oh yah- alright man -wooooooo-hoooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, are you still here? I was too busy dancing around my living room to notice! I'm not saying I was excited to see them go, but... let's just say there has been a big circle on my calender with the word CAMP posted for quite some time.

Please, mothers of preschoolers don't think ill of me. One day your precious babies will grow into similar versions of you. Your teens will want you to treat them like they are 23 and you will try hard to keep the same rules you did when they were 11. It will all end up in this dance that somehow never leaves them or you 100% at peace. They will always want more and you will always wish your kid was a nerd with a zero social life. :)

To me, being a parent means that my prayer life is open 24-7. There is a special prayer that I find many parents use when it comes to their children. Sometimes people call them heart cries. They are those moments when our hearts are so overwhelmed that we either spiritually, physically, or both cry out to the Lord! Our heart cries out at those times of greatest need. I think many of my most passionate heart cries have been for my children. It started the moment I held those little miracles in my arms and I cried out with thanksgiving, praises, and petitions all at once. There have been try outs, and tests they were dreading and I cried out, "Lord! Help them do their best!" I find those heart cries are my greatest joy and my greatest brokeness all rolled into one. My joy is acknowledging the mighty power of God that I am beckoning over my children. My brokeness is acknowledging that God has given me those children that come not with batteries included, but with free will. I quickly realized other people's free will is getting all up in my kids business (i.e. coaches, friends, media)!

So my camp celebration dance was a heart cry that could not be contained. I am deeply, humbly, and earnestly asking the Lord to move and to do His mighty and good will over the lives of my children this week at camp. I am also at the same time praying protection for them. Protection for their safety, and for those who God brings to speak into their lives. In my brokeness I acknowledge that we are sinners. My kids are AMAZING! But just like others, we have sin that, if allowed, holds them back. We have broken imperfect children raised by (all be a pastor's family), broken imperfect parents. We are sinners saved by grace and no one walks on water at my house but Jesus.

This reminds me of a recording my friends asked me to hear. It was about a man who took his beautiful wife into a highly populated Muslim community in Africa. They were missionaries. The area they went to had missionaries, for almost 80 years, ministering in that area. In all that time few people had asked Christ to be their Savior. This man's story was unforgettable! It had everything from a dare he accepted of jumping off a high bridge into water so people would listen about Christ, to a confrontation with men on a boat who eventually asked Christ in their lives and became his body guards. He even had an Imam ask Christ to be his Lord and Savior. The Imam would not read the Bible, but wanted to know more about the teacher Jesus. So the pastor took the Bible outside, ripped off the cover and wrote "The teachings of Christ". The Imam smiled and took it. Later he told the pastor he asked Christ into his life. He said God has told me to go back to the middle east to share the gospel. He did not know how he would get there, but he was memorizing the Bible for his journey. A few days later the pastor went to visit the man. His family was angry at the pastor and said, "We have put him somewhere you will never touch him! We have sent him back to the middle east!"

The pastor's journey was not without its heartbreak. He and his wife were fired upon while driving and she died. He was heart broken and I am sure you can imagine that he needed time to heal emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I almost hesitate writing how he praises God for their time there and for the gift of marriage his missionary wife was to him. I pause because those words are heavy. Those are heart cry words. Any journey God calls us to do, or gift He gives (such as children) is filled with God's blessings and the world's humanity.

Perhaps you should know how that man's story started? He said he was given the assignment to go. When he got there he gathered the few Christians that were there, and they prayed for God to do great things (which He did). The pastor said that after God had really started impacting the community, he had to ashamedly admit to the local believers that he had asked God if that rag tag group (that consisted of a beggar, a cripple, an old man, and few others) was all God had to work with? The people told him that they said, "God, is this skinny white man the best you could bring?" :)It shows you the power of two or more gathered in HIS NAME despite what is seen, but is seeking what is yet to be seen. :)

So, is this the best God could give my children? Two parents who get it right most days when they are not having a string of bad days? My heart cries out, Lord let my children be all they can be, and let me be a light to them! Sometimes I feel like the villagers about myself, "God is this the best you could bring my kids?" But the truth is that God makes no mistakes. All things (situations, family, heart breaks and heart cries) work to the glory of God for those that love Him and are called according to His purpose. Today I felt I should share not just about the power and ability God has to effect our lives. Rather, I wanted to point out how graciously He does it through us and for us; the imperfect humans.

When I dropped my children off I gained two great pieces if wisdom. First, a mom was there saying good-bye to her son who is a senior. She said she used to celebrate his going off to camp, but this year it serves as a reminder that he will soon be going off to the biggest camp of all; college and life. It made me pause and give a quiet heart cry for having just a little more time with my wonderful children. The second was from my friend who is going to be a counselor at camp this year. We were talking about our prayers and hopes for our children at camp. She reminded me that we heard a sermon in which the pastor talked about praying the A B C's as he goes. After I said good-bye, I got in my car and prayed a prayer that simply has you use the alphabet. You just pick a word that starts with the next letter and pray it over what you are talking to God about. The first was easy because my son's name is Austin. So I prayed A- Austin would have a great time at camp, and that he would be B- blessed by his time there... and so it goes. R was also easy because my daughter is Rebekah. It is just a unique way to take time to really petition the Lord.

I have no great words of wisdom. I will leave that up to the professionals. I do know that prayer is the single greatest gift you can bestow upon your child. Cover them in prayer. Being a pastor's kid, they might just need it more than most. Never forget the bonus of praying! Prayer not only effects what you are praying about, but it also effects the one who prays.

What are your prayers about this week? What does praying do for you? What is your favorite way to go to the Lord in prayer?

"... The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16 (NIV)