Above All, Pray!

When moms and dads ask me for parenting advice, I encourage them to pray for their children. Because sometimes prayer is all you have.

I’ll never forget the struggle my son Troy went through while he was being born. He somehow got his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and swallowed amniotic fluid. One moment everything was fine. The next moment we were facing one of the most dangerous birthing situations possible. And there was nothing Jean or I could do.

Except to pray.

So, that’s what we did. And thankfully, something wonderful happened. Troy twisted himself back around, wiggled his arms underneath the cord, and likely saved his own life.

If you’re a parent, I’m sure you’ve had moments of your own like that, moments where circumstances were beyond your control, and you were helpless to protect your child. Every parent has paced a hospital floor, lost sleep, or kept vigil at a living room window until their child returned safely home. We’ve all bandaged enough scraped knees to know that we can’t protect our children from everything no matter how vigilant we are.

And so we pray. Prayer connects us with something deeper than our challenges. It renews our hope and strengthens us when circumstances make us weak.

Whether you’re kneeling at your bedside at night or sitting in a hospital room desperate for good news, pray. Because sometimes prayer is all you have.