Prayerfully Listening Is A Tough Job

As parents, we continuously walk the fine line between giving our children our seasoned opinions on life and butting in where we should not. It is difficult to convince our kids that our words and actions are always meant to protect them from life's heartbreaks. 

Today, I am prayerfully considering words to guide not control my kids lives. My prayer is that they make choices that give them a great big world of choices in their lives. Choices that will lead them to happiness not regret. 

Young adults, my kids included, are making lifelong decisions moment by moment, some of which could impact their lives forever. Ryan's choice in April took all his future choices away in an instant. Fortunately, most of our 20 somethings will not make a fatal error like he did. Yet, their choices on relationships, school, career, and life will impact the direction of their lives.

These young adults so need our prayers as they navigate the early, independent years of their lives. Our prayer should be that they see the world at their feet and dream big dreams on the possibilities that lay before them. That they recognize that they, not their parents, hold their future in their hands and with hard work anything is possible.

My prayer for parents of young adults is to be better listeners than talkers with our now grown kids and to turn our hands up. Recognizing that God is all knowing so we don't have to be. Our job is no longer diapers or PTA, our job is prayerfully watching their lives unfold into what God has planned for them. My heart says this is my toughest role of all.

In Him,

Joyful
10-2-2010