Over a bowl of spaghetti at my kitchen table one week ago, I asked my friend about her plans for the holidays. Knowing her Mom hasn’t really been gone that long, I wondered how her traditions had changed, who she would spend Christmas Day with, and what the menu was. And then I asked her what she missed the very most about her Mom.
Her answer took me by surprise, because I was expecting her to say she missed talking with her Mom every day, or being able to call and ask for advice or how to cook an old favorite recipe. And I’m sure she does miss all of those things, and more. But without hesitation she told me that she missed her Mom’s prayers. Her answer took no thought. She knew what she missed the very, very most.
I am pretty sure I stopped chewing for a minute. “You FELT your Mom’s prayers?” I asked her.
And she did. She would frequently share things with her Mom that she was struggling with or needed wisdom for, and her Mom would faithfully pray.
For the life of me I couldn’t stop thinking about her answer to my question. In fact, I’m still thinking about her answer – and whether or not my kids feel my prayers. And when I’m gone – will they miss them?
I gotta tell ya. I do pray for my kids – very specific prayers. But I’ve turned up the amp on them in the last week just constantly coming back to the fact that my friend continues to feel the loss of her Mom’s prayers.
Maybe it’s just me, and maybe it seems like a very simple thing – but to me it was really profound, enough so that in just seven days her answer has changed my prayer life. It’s still changing, and I’m certain it now will forever drive my prayer life.
What about you? What do you pray for your children?
“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-12
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