Prayer for the Strongwilled Child, Lessons from a 5 year old

Recently a friend posted something entitled Prayer for your Preteen. It was a prayer to pray over your child as they enter those tenatious years of a teenager. While I absolutely loved the prayer, my thoughts immediately pondered the events of the day. I had come to blows with my younger, strongwilled one and ended up in utter frustration. After tears and pleading I wrote this prayer.....Prayer for the Strongwilled child

Dear Lord,
You gave me this child who has such a strong personality help me to channel that strength to do great things for you.

When her actions are demonstrative and emphatic, help me redirect her and pray that someday she will be demonstrative and emphatic for you.

When her actions seem impetuous and impulsive, help me redirect her and pray that she will someday act in kindness and love to someone in need without hesitating or thinking.

When her voice seems to be decibels above everyone elses' just to share something, help me to redirect her and pray that someday she will proclaim your love "loudly" by her actions.

When her words fly from her tongue and seek to demand her own way, help me to redirect her and pray that someday the words that fly from her mouth without hesitation are ones of love and encouragement.

When she can't seem to sit still and is hanging from the rafters, help me to realize that she is healthy and full of energy and pray that someday she may redirect that energy and vitality to serve you.

When she finds it easy to argue and prove her point and never backs down, help me to redirect her and pray that she may someday unashamedly proclaim your goodness with determination, never backing down.

When she tells me she is mad and says that no one "gets me", help me to redirect her and pray that she will not only see that she is loved but that her heavenly father knows each thought before one of them even exists.

When she tells me at night as I tuck her in that she is sorry she broke my heart, help me Lord to show love to her and be encouraged and to know this path of a parent and child is not just for her, but for me also!

In Jesus' name,
Amen


As I talked with Eric about the day's events and then later spilled out this prayer I was reminded of our own ways of being strongwilled. Certainly my strongwilled actions are not as obvious as those of my five old. :-) But still I thought that there are things that I think, do, and say that display my true stubborn heart. I wondered what the Lord's prayer for my strongwilled heart would look like? I am grateful that the Lord redirects me and tells me that He loves me and encourages me by drawing me closer to Himself. Thank you Lord for the lessons I have learned from my strongwilled child!