II Timothy Chapter 2

​II Timothy 2:20-21

Prayer Over Our Children

Strengthen my child in to Your grace so that she may endure hardship and persecution. Help her to labor well for You in accordance to Your ways so that she may be pleasing unto You. Make her a workman who avoids godless chatter and correctly handles Your Word in Truth. Be the solid foundation beneath her feet so that she may stand firm. ... 

Seal her to be one of Your own so that she may confess You are Lord and turn away from wickedness. Cleanse her, oh God, so that she may be made holy, useful to You, and prepared for any good work as an instrument of noble purposes. Help her to flee the evil desires of youth and pursue instead righteousness, faith, love and peace and those who seek God with a pure heart. Bless her with kindness, teaching ability, gentle instruction, a forgiving heart that avoids foolish arguments and conversation. Lead her to the knowledge of Your truth so that she may escape the trap of the Devil. 

My heart woke up burdened this morning. Have you ever felt like you were different and that others either judged you for your differences or misunderstood you? I confess, that sometimes these perceptions are self-induced but other times, they are glaringly obvious in their subtleties or blatant in their disregard. I felt wounded and bruised by interactions which at first were warm and personable that had declined to increasingly more short and distant communications as our differences became more pronounced. Our Sweet pea is a recipient of the relationship and it was important to me to maintain and foster positive impressions and perceptions. Although initially our family’s appearance presented like that of the elite, time slowly revealed we did not fit the hoped for and desired mold but walked to a rhythm and beat of our own. 
     
The last interaction squashed me like a bug with a humoring nod of faint acknowledgement. Oh, how I writhed beneath the note of dismissal, hating to be cast outside the inner circle and no longer among the chosen few. It felt cold and wanting on the outskirts and I wanted desperately to jump through the hoops and prove myself worthy of the coveted warmth, approval, and favor!
     
Throughout the entire morning, I chaffed beneath the perceived falling out, all the while wondering why it meant so much to me to be accepted, warmly received, and treated as invaluable. I considered donating resources, time, and even volunteering. I contemplated sending cheery emails filled with expressed interest, explanations, applicable offerings, and flattery to regain my fallen stature. Yet, even though I craved acceptance and wished to regain the outpouring of favor, another part of myself kicked at the thought of altering my own initial thoughts, actions, and priorities just to please another person. 
     
These opposing forces waged war against each other, raising the ugly head of self-doubt, self-denigration, and self-compromise. I despised my desire to change what I wanted for the sake of gaining favor and pleasing others. But, the thought of sacrificing time, resources, and priorities appealed to my desire to fit in and be accepted.
     
What is wrong with me? I wondered, why do I want to conform and alter my values? Why don’t I want to appear different? To my surprise, the still, soft voice of the Lord answered me, speaking to the inner recesses of my mind. But, child of God, came the gentle rebuke, you ARE different. You are supposed to be different - with your life, values, priorities, choices, and decisions. Remember, dear child, you are to be salt and light, to live in the world but not be of the world. I stood in shocked surprise as this simple yet profound truth, a truth of which I have known for so long, sunk deep into the waters of my soul. Several seconds ticked by as my mind absorbed these freeing affirmations. It’s okay to be different, my mind slowly processed, I am supposed to be different, and I don’t have to feel bad or apologize about it. I don’t have to be like everyone else! 
     
As my mind and heart soaked in this epiphany, relief and peace washed through me, coursing like life blood in my veins. The vise grip which conformity and wanting to please held over me, broke free and breathed deep fresh air into my starving lungs. The permission I needed to be different, to not conform, imitate, or change the priorities, values, and convictions to mirror those that surround me, filled me with a peaceful confidence and grounding surety that stood firm beneath my feet. 
     
Friends, as parents, we will be faced with and surrounded by worldly expectations, priorities, and values. We will be tempted to put on the clothes of this world so that our children and we fit in and look like or appear like everyone else. If we are honest, standing out as different is not what we want because to be different from everyone else often means we will experience persecution whether in the smaller forms of teasing, ridicule, gossip, and unpopularity or whether in full out, deliberate hurtful behavior and actions. Who wants to experience this? So, we shy away, downplay, or disregard our own values and priorities just so we can fit in and not experience hardship. 
     
But parents, it’s not going to get easier to live in this world, it is inevitable that trials, hardship, and persecutions will come. But what will become easier for us is saying no to the world and staying true to our faith each time we resist conformity and assimilation. For after the 3rd, 4th, 10th, 20th, or 50th time we choose not to conform to the world around us, we gain greater strength, confidence, and increase our assurance in Christ Jesus who aides us to stand firm in our faith.
     
Better get used to it now, I told myself, because this is just the beginning. And it is true, isn’t it fellow parents? With Sweet pea only as a preschooler, the span of years stretches before me where I will face countless parenting decisions and choices. What priorities and values will I teach Sweet one – academics, sports and other performance activities or love, kindness, and compassion? What kinds of shows will I allow her to watch – ones that condone impurity, violence, and crass behavior or ones that promote family values? What activities will I allow her to participate in? what style of clothes will we allow her to wear? What will we teach her about gender and sexuality? To which things will our answer be no? And to which yes? These choices are only a small sampling of the many decisions with which we will be faced. But, if we are going to train up our child in the ways of the Lord, then it is inevitable that we will be different. Different in the ways we parent, the choices we make for our children, the priorities to which we hold and promote as parents, the values we teach, and the love that we show. 
     
​Dear friends, let us stop trying to conform to worldly expectations and start living life in the fullness of Christ. Let us cease in our attempts to mirror the world or mask our differences but grow in the confidence and assurance of Christ so that we can stand firm in our faith

A Parent’s Prayer

Oh Lord, help me not be ashamed of my differences. Help me not to falter in my faith but bless me with the peaceful security of knowing I am Yours and You are mine. Strengthen me from within and cast out all disparaging thinking and thoughts of self-doubt. Loose me from the chains that drag us down to the miry clay. Make Your ways as desirable as honey and give me the strength and courage to remain faithful to You, even in the face of worldly pressures and expectations. Breathe on me so that I may not fall or falter.