*I want to preface this post by saying that I may or may not properly communicate my support in Ben's fathering. I would not rather any other man to be the father of my children. He loves fiercely and truly wants what is best for our kids and wants to parent in a way that fosters growth in our children. My goal is to support him in this, but I am tire and pregnant. Please ask if you have any questions or it seems I am doing anything but supporting him.*
If there is one area I cover both myself and Ben in prayer in it's our parenting. More than anything I want our parenting to guide Zoë, and any other kids we might be blessed with, to God. To set a foundation that is open to her questioning and helps her start to listen for God's voice in her life, hopefully hear His call early in life.
What I didn't realize, somehow overlooked with all the fears of failure I feel as a mom, was how even if he never voices them, Ben feels just as many fears and worries about being a horrible dad as I do about being a mom. There was one quote that really opened my eyes to how much I should pray for Ben's fatherhood: "Thoughts of failure and inadequacy are what cause so many fathers to give up, leave, become overbearing from trying too hard, or develop a passive attitude and fade into the background of their children's lives." (p. 138)
And though Ben is a far cry from being any of what that quote depicts, I have found myself asking that God would give him truths and constantly remind him that he has a perfect Father who desires to see him succeed in his journey of fatherhood. A heavenly Father who isn't looking for perfection but a desire to do what is right and to live as Christ.
I have felt the truth that Ben is the perfect father for Zoë and any other children, biological or adopted, we are blessed with resonate in my heart and give me a passion to cover his fatherhood in prayer. (I'm throwing adoption out there because we're open to it, but right now are unsure if that will happen.) He is exactly the father God designed our children to have, and as such, is the father they need because of his many assets, despite the failures he will have as a father. And so I never want to see him give in to Satan's tactics which are designed to lead to him giving up, however it may look, on raising his children.
And so here is what I encourage all women to pray for:
- Married with or without children: if you desire to have children or you already do, pray for your husband's fatherhood. Ask God to give him the wisdom that comes only from Him so that he might positively influence your children, leading them to the foot of the cross simply through how he loves your children.
- Single but desire to be married: pray that, should He grant your request to be married, the man intended for you would walk with God daily and that through that God would prepare his heart for whatever children He has in store for you. Starting now is the a great way to help you continue to do so should God answer those desires.
- Any other woman not covered by those two categories (sorry, those two stuck out to me with more specific ways to pray over the fatherhoods of men): pray that every man on this earth granted with the opportunity to father a child would seek God first and imitate Him in the way they parent their children.
As for myself, I will be covering both my parenting and Ben's parenting in prayer, asking that we seek His wisdom in every aspect so that we might teach our children to live at the foot of the cross.
___________________________________________________________
Here are the rest of my posts from this 30 week series I've done on praying for my husband:
No comments:
Post a Comment
I appreciate you taking time to comment :) I do not allow anonymous comments. Thank you for understanding!