A Bedtime Story....A Prayer for My Kids
I have recently realized how fervent I am about what I am about to write. I realized it only when I looked at my collection of posts only to notice that I have tried to write this post at some point, 4 different times over the past year. Please know that this is a message from my heart:
A few months back, as my husband and I were curled up in bed, falling
asleep, I asked him to tell me a bedtime story. The story went
something like this:
Right after you had your c-section and they were puttin` you back together, I walked over to stay with Riley. They put him on the warmer to take his vitals and whatnot. He was crying and so I asked if I could touch him. "Why couldn't you touch him?" I asked. Well, I wasn't wearing gloves or anything and he was still kinda gross and I didn't know if it was okay for me to touch him. And the nurse said I could so I did and as I laid my hand over his chest, and his stomach because he was so small, he stopped crying, like he knew I was his daddy and everything was going to be alright.
Did you get that? He KNEW the touch of his daddy! Now, of course you have to understand a couple of things. While my husband is a pretty tough looking guy, he's always had a soft heart. All through my pregnancy he continued to talk to Riley. He would tell him about all the things he was excited to do with him when he finally came out to see us and all the things that daddies are supposed to do with their sons when they get bigger. The other thing you have to understand is that I often used this rare skill of my husband's throughout my pregnancy. There would be times when Riley was SO active that my sides and stomach would ache. (This active tendency hasn't changed in the least over the last 3 years!) In these times, I would beg my hubby to put his hand on my stomach because I knew that Riley would settle down and give me rest. Throughout the time of my pregnancy, Riley learned to know his father through the sound of his voice and the feel of his hand.
As I began to really process his bedtime story, I realized the deep ache I have for my son to know his Heavenly Father this way as well. My desire is for Riley, when he is in the strange and new that this world has for us, all he has to do is call out to God, and he will feel comfort because he knows his Heavenly Father.
Philippians 4:6-7 says, "6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the PEACE of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The peace God gives transcends, or is beyond, our earthly understanding and yet, it's there. I've witnessed myself and in the lives of family and friends, in the face of tragedy, death, loss of jobs, homes, etc. say that through it all, they still have peace. WHAT!!?! While it doesn't make any sense to us, it is still just as real. I not only want this peace for my son, but I fervently pray that my kids at school and in my youth group know this peace that only God can bring.
So, here's the question.... how well do you know your Father?
 |
| My mom holding Riley in the hospital. |
Right after you had your c-section and they were puttin` you back together, I walked over to stay with Riley. They put him on the warmer to take his vitals and whatnot. He was crying and so I asked if I could touch him. "Why couldn't you touch him?" I asked. Well, I wasn't wearing gloves or anything and he was still kinda gross and I didn't know if it was okay for me to touch him. And the nurse said I could so I did and as I laid my hand over his chest, and his stomach because he was so small, he stopped crying, like he knew I was his daddy and everything was going to be alright.
 | |||
| A recent picture of Riley cuddling with his daddy! |
As I began to really process his bedtime story, I realized the deep ache I have for my son to know his Heavenly Father this way as well. My desire is for Riley, when he is in the strange and new that this world has for us, all he has to do is call out to God, and he will feel comfort because he knows his Heavenly Father.
Philippians 4:6-7 says, "6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the PEACE of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The peace God gives transcends, or is beyond, our earthly understanding and yet, it's there. I've witnessed myself and in the lives of family and friends, in the face of tragedy, death, loss of jobs, homes, etc. say that through it all, they still have peace. WHAT!!?! While it doesn't make any sense to us, it is still just as real. I not only want this peace for my son, but I fervently pray that my kids at school and in my youth group know this peace that only God can bring.
So, here's the question.... how well do you know your Father?
Comments
Post a Comment