I sent this to my boys
this morning via text message.
It’s my prayer for
them.
They haven’t replied.
They probably think
I’m crazy.
Or wonder
if I’ve been
drinking
so early in the
morning.
They will assume,
probably, a little of both.
But
seriously,
how
interesting is a
straight
interesting is a
straight
trail?
On a straight trail,
you can see
everything
there is to see
at the
beginning
of the trip.
Why
Even
go?
On a crooked (curvy,
not corrupt) trail, there are surprises around the corner. You can only see enough to entice you to take
the next step.
To keep going.
To see what’s next.
It doesn’t show what’s
at the end
on
the first step.
There may
be a meadow of flowers,
or
a babbling brook.
There may be
dark scary parts,
too.
Enjoy the meadows.
Learn to
be cautious
and
discerning
in the dark
parts of the trail.
And when
the trail leads to a mountain
HIGHER
than
you ever thought you could climb,
you’ll be glad
you couldn’t
see the end.
If you could see from the first step
A winding trail
how far,
how
high,
how scary,
how dark,
how narrow,
how treacherous,
how daunting-
you
would miss
the
beautiful
lessons
the trail has to
offer
along the way.
I don’t pray for my children to be “safe.”
I pray for them to be surrounded
by God’s love and protection.
If they are always safe,
and never face a danger or fear as
a child,
How will they
survive
the ominous dangers
as an adult?
I don’t pray for them to be smart,
but wise.
I don’t pray they are never hurt,
but that
they learn from the
pain.
I don’t pray they are
popular.
I pray they have the courage
and confidence
to be
who God
created them to be
regardless
of
what others
think.
I don’t pray that their hearts are
never
broken.
Or that they
never experience grief.
I don’t pray for
their relationships
to be peaceful,
but passionate.
It is in learning as a child
about grieving
the death of a pet
that we learn to grieve bigger losses.
It’s how we handle
the disagreements and fights
in our childhood friendships
that teach us how to
handle it
better
the next time.
I don’t pray for their
immediate success,
but that they
never
give up.
to teach them
how to
do it better
the
next time.
It’s in the lonely times
when we learn to
love ourselves.
It is only by
being left out
that we
learn how it feels
to be left
out.
Can you imagine an adult :
who always
experienced
immediate success
in
school and in relationships
Who never lost
a game
Or fought
with a
friend
Or lost a pet
Who was
never sick
or
sprained an
ankle
or
had a pimple
Whose teeth were straight
And face was
beautiful
Was not
too fat
nor
too thin
Who reached puberty
at
the perfect age
Who was always
protected and safe
Who never faced
danger
or
adversity
Where could such a
person live as an adult that they
wouldn’t immediately
be
plundered and
pillaged?
And
if there was such a place,
what would happen
to that person when :
their grandparent
died,
or
their parent,
or
spouce ..
or
child?
How would they
deal with
the loss
or
manage
the devastation
if
their spouse
left them
or
their child
had
special needs
or
became
addicted
to drugs
What if
they got
fired
from a job
What skills
would they
have
to deal
with loss
or
anger
or
pain
How would they
treat
other people
?
How would they
relate
To other people
?
Can you imagine a friend like this?
No.
I don’t pray for my
children to be
perfect,
or safe,
or popular.
Because I love them
too much
to want them
to experience
anything
less
than the
full
experience
of
life.