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I always loved those variety type television shows where the host would interview kids and ask, "If you could have any superpower at all, what would it be?" You would see wide eyes and huge grins come over their little faces as they envisioned the very best superpowers they could imagine.
Inevitably some would say they'd want to be able to fly or to be really strong... or to be invisible. Then the host would hit them with the follow-up, "Why?" Every once on a while a kid would choke on this part or just shrug his shoulders, but more often than not, they knew exactly why they wanted what they did, and were more than eager to express it!
With Mother's Day approaching, the card aisles at the grocery store were flooded with people looking for that perfect sentiment to send to mom. I think the card that was my all-time favorite was the one that had "Mom" dressed like a superhero, complete with cape and a huge "M" emblazoned on the back.
Sometimes, as mothers, it can feel like we need to be a superhero, because the demands of parenting are many. There is so much resposibility and weight on our shoulders to bring up these children well. We are managing and monitoring their spiritual, emotional, physical, and moral growth. Their education and their character are important to us, so we watch and guide. Their emapthy and understanding we protect and nurture.
We are on the job night and day, sick or well, stressed or calm, discouraged or elated. It can seem the only way to manage it all is to have superhuman strength, patience, and stamina.
But...
But we don't. We can't... because we ARE human. We are weak, frail, fallible. We mess up, even when we try our best, even when we do what we do with the greatest intentions. Though we can't be real-life superheroes, the good news is this: we DO have a superpower, and it comes from the only true superhero the world has ever known.
We have the power of prayer.
I had a wonderful mother. I think about her a lot, especially around Mother's Day. My mom was a godly woman. She wasn't perfect, none of us are, but she was a real anchor for my soul because she was a praying mom, and she lifted me up to the Lord daily. She taught me the power of prayer. Of all the things she passed on to me, and there were many, truly wonderful words of wisdom she imparted, the greatest of these was the example of her unwavering committment to help me develop a relationship with Jesus and to speak with Him often.
As a young mother myself, I worried about all kinds of things concerning my children. Chief among them was my concern for their health and safety. These were things I had only the most limited control over, if any control at all, especially when they were sick or away from me. It was my mother who reminded me that though I had no power over the situation, God was watching over my children. He had constant eyes on them when I could not be there to look after them myself.
I can't tell you what a relief that was... to know I could hand my children over to the Lord in prayer, along with my anxieties, and know that He would do so much better at taking care of them than I ever could. There was a freedom in that... and an uncomparable sense of peace.
No, we can't always be with our children in those hard places, whether it's a physical place or a place in their hearts where they experience fear, or sadness, or lonliness. Though our mother's heart may beg to, we can't always go along with them on their first day of school or their first solo drive in the car. We can't always protect them from unkind words or uncaring friends. We can't hold their hand crossing every street. We can't tag along on every adventure with their friends, and we can't mend every broken heart for them. We can't as much as we'd love to.
But God can. He gave us a powerful tool to accomplish all we could not do on our own... our very own superpower, if you will. He gave us prayer. We should never underestimate it's strength or its ability to help and to heal not just those for whom we pray, but also to calm, console, and strengthen us as well.
My mother's heart is so grateful that I can go to the Lord in prayer on behalf of my children. Before I utter a word, God knows. He's seen into the recesses of my being, my thoughts, my worries... my hopes for them. He's on the job before I even finish praying, for He loves them too... exceedingly more, because they are His children first.
As children grow and morph from infant to adult, our job as mothers becomes less and less about teaching and training and more and more about encouraging and praying. We are still "on" night and day, sick or well, stressed or calm, discouraged or elated, for we are prayer warriors, and we stay ready to do battle on our children's behalf with the most powerful weapon we have.
Host: "If you could have any superpower at all, what would it be... and why?"
Me: "Prayer. Definitely prayer, because it's the MOST powerful of all!"
I thank God for that, and I am forever grateful for the blessing of my children and grandchildren... and for the privilege of praying for them.
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