Monday, April 21, 2008

The Toe to Head Prayer

At night when rocking sweet Noah to sleep I pray for him. Sometimes silently and sometimes out loud. In order not to forget any of the many things I want to pray I developed the toe to head prayer and it goes something like this:

Dear Father,
Thank you so much for this little blessing you have given to me and the joy he is to me and others. Please help me to be a good mother to him and make decisions that are best for his life.

Bless his cute baby feet. May they led him down your path of truth and righteousnesses. May you guide his steps and lead him in your ways. May he walk humbly with you loving mercy and justice.

I pray for his body that he continue to grow strong. I pray that you guard him form any illness or disease. I pray for physical safety and at home and in the world. I ask that he develop healthy habits and treat his body as your temple and dwelling place.

I pray for his sweet heart. The heart is the well spring of life. I pray that you guard his heart. I can not stop his heart from breaking but help me bring him comfort. I pray that he loves you and seeks you with his heart. I pray that he loves others with your love. I pray for his friends he will love and grow with. I pray for his wife. That you mold his heart to love her the way she will need to be loved. And that you will teach his heart to recognize her. I pray that his heart is joyful, peaceful and gentle.

I pray for his hands and the work he does with them. That his labor be blessed and that he always find ways to serve you.

I pray for his mouth, that he speak encouragement and truth into the lives of others.

I pray for his eyes, that he uses them to see you in others. I pray that he looks at other people the way you do and treats them out of love and respect.

I pray for his head and mind. I ask that you grant him wisdom and discernment. That you teach him to seek truth. I pray that you use me and Adam to develop in him a firm foundation in you so that he is not easily swayed by the world. I pray that he has the wisdom to make good Godly friends who will draw him to you.

And finally Father, I ask for your mercy and patience as I love and raise this little one. That you help me know the right things to say and do. I know that his future is wide open and there are many possibilities for who he may become. I pray that you help me know which ways to point him and encourage him. I am humbled that you have chosen me to give this responsibility to and I am blessed and encouraged in knowing that I am not alone, that you are with me every step of the way. I love you Lord. Help me to love you even more. Amen

6 comments:

Sally said...

Oh Carrie - I LOVE this. What an awesome way to pray for your little one. I'm going to steal it and do something similar. And my post preggo/mommy hormones have kicked in as you have me teary eyed reading it.

Carrie said...

Thank you! I understand about the hormones. I had such a hard time with that! I cried at everything. Commercials, the dog, the fly on the wall :) Good luck it fades!

Nick M. said...

Very very cool. We may also be stealing this on (only changing the 'he/his' to 'her/their(s)'. Thanks!

Nick
(Laura M's husband)

Jana said...

ditto on the stealing thing! i've done a little of this but not quite as thorough as you!! you are my inspiration! ;) one day maybe i'll be as great a mommy as you!! if not, i'll just send micah to glean things from his aunt carrie! :)

Jana said...

p.s. sent some stuff in the mail today to you . . taped up the box and totally forgot to put a card or anything in it!! oops. oh well. you know its sent w/ love from us! :) should be there by wed.

Overwhelmed! said...

I found you through Sally's blog and I do indeed love your nightly prayer to your son. It's much more eloquent than mine to my son.

One thing I do with him (he's now 3) is bless all of our extended family members in order of age (his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins on both sides of our family).

For example, I say, "Please God, bless Grandma & Grandpa K, bless Uncle R & Aunt T with Ross & Alexa, bless Uncle M & Aunt A with Sam & Ella, etc." I do this to help him learn the names of his extended family and which cousins belong to which aunt and uncle. This helps him because he doesn't see them often. Most live out of state.

Anyway, beautiful prayer!