Proverbs 22:6

In just a few short hours 2009 will quickly be upon us. I have always felt like the coming of the new year is bittersweet. There are so many things to look forward to in 2009, but when I think about how fast 2008 went by, my heart aches. It seems that the older I get the faster time flys. I am looking into the faces of my little boys and seeing that all of the time I thought would be there to teach and nurture them has quickly gone. I have been doing a lot of thinking about the coming year, and what things I want to accomplish. I need to always remember that I am in full partnership with God. He can shoulder the heaviness I feel, and the burden I feel to teach my sons what they need to know. He will provide wisdom, power, protection, and ability far beyond myself. My job is to discipline, teach, nurture, and "train up my children in the way they should go," knowing that "when they are older they will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6). I am to depend on Him to enable me to raise my boys properly, and He will see to it that our boys lives are blessed. One thing I have learned is that I should not try to force my own will on my boys in prayer. Instead, I try to pray along the lines of, "Lord, show me how to pray for my boys. Help me to raise them in Your way, and may Your will be done in their life. David and I realize that the hand of God is on our own lives, our boys readily acknowlege that as well. For it's the power of God that penetrates our boys lives when we pray. As my family ventures into 2009, I pray that through my walk with the Lord, I remember that my prayer life is acknowledging and experiencing the presence of God and inviting Him into my everyday life and circumstances. It's seeking the presence of my God and releasing His POWER that gives me what I need to overcome any problem, and having Him there to rejoice with me through every triumph.