Prayers from the Parking Lot by Mary Carver

Author:Mary Carver
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christian Living/Prayer;Mothers—Religious life;Mothers—Prayers and devotions;REL012020;REL012080;REL012130
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2022-05-10T00:00:00+00:00

My child would never do that!” Who among us hasn’t had that thought? We hear about kids picking on someone who’s a little bit different or starting rumors about someone who used to be their friend. We see a child trip or shove or snub their peer, or we read a memo from school informing parents of a dangerous trend among students. And every time, our first reaction is to think, “My child would never do such a thing.”

I thought that myself, until the day I chatted with another mom and discovered that my daughter had been mean to her daughter—so mean that this mom hoped the girls would be placed in different classes the next year! The girls later became the best of friends, but my eyes were opened. While I still counsel my kids about what to do if they’re being bullied, now I also tell them stories or give them books about people being kind to others. I point out opportunities for us to care for people, and then we act on those opportunities together. I teach them how God tells us to be kind and compassionate to one another. If we want it to be true that our kids would never hurt others, we can’t leave it up to chance or just assume that we’ve taught them to know better.

God, I want to believe that my child would never hurt anyone. But I also know that my sweet, obedient kid is human and therefore susceptible to temptation, peer pressure, and, let’s not forget, hormones! Please show me every opportunity for teaching my kids to be kind, Lord. Show me where I can be kinder and model the compassion You command us to offer others. Help me forgive when my kid messes up, but don’t let me neglect my responsibility to teach them what I want them to know and to do. Thank You for showing us what kindness looks like. Amen.

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