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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

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March 19, 2012

Praying for your Kids series…Part 3

 
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We are so thrilled to have the lovely Richella from Imparting Grace with us here for Part 3 in our Praying for your Kids series. Before we get to her wonderful insights about how prayer has impacted her family, we want to take a minute to announce a great new linky party that Richella is starting.

We’ll let her tell you about it in her own words…

My blog’s purpose is to do what the title says–to impart grace.
I want my home to be full of grace, too. I want it to be a place where my family, my friends, and my guests feel special and loved and welcome. I’m betting you feel the same way about your home.

To celebrate all the things we do to make our homes places of grace, I’m starting a new weekly linky party: Grace at Home.

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This party will be a place for you to share anything related to making your home a place of grace. I invite you to link posts about DIY Projects, decorating, recipes, hospitality, homemaking tips, parenting, marriage, faith, self-care.
Whatever you do to make your home a place of grace, I’d like to hear about it.
The party will take place every Thursday, beginning March 22.

We love this idea and we hope you will meet us at Richella’s Grace at Home party this week!
Now, let’s hear what she has to say about:

Praying for your Kids
Prayer is a complex and multi-faceted subject. If you’re like me, you’ve read and heard a lot about prayer. Sometimes it seems that we can spend so much time learning about prayer that we struggle to find time to pray! While this is obviously not a complete definition of prayer, one of my favorite teachings about prayer is very simple: “Prayer is talking with God about what you and He are doing together.”
Surely there’s no activity that more clearly demonstrates our working together with God and our dependence on Him than that of parenthood. “Children are a heritage from the Lord,” we read in Psalm 127, and we know it’s true. Being part of the miracle of creating and sustaining life is one of the greatest privileges God gives us; we know we could never do it on our own.
We love our children so much, and we always want the best for them. But sometimes we find ourselves faced with particularly trying circumstances, and our prayers take on special meaning. For my family, those trying circumstances have often come through the challenges of illness. My husband and two of my sons have a genetic condition called Marfan Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder which can involve great difficulty and even danger.

I remember so well the month of April 2008, when our then-14-year-old son Preston had to have major open-heart surgery. For years we had hoped and prayed that medication and monitoring might prevent his needing surgery, but that was not to be. Surgery was necessary to replace his ascending aorta with a polyester graft and his aortic valve with an artificial valve.

I’ll never forget one particular scene from the day of Preston’s surgery. For weeks I had held things together pretty well, doing all the big and little things required of me. And I kept a smile on my face in pre-op, staying calm when they wheeled Preston away and quiet as we took our seats in the waiting room. Several friends had gathered there to wait with Jack and me. We were all chatting cheerfully when one of the nurses called the waiting room from the Operating Room. The receptionist matter-of-factly relayed the message: “The surgeon wants you to know that Preston is safely under anesthesia and they’ve made the incision,” she said. “Thank you very much,” I answered. Then I burst into tears.

As I sobbed, my friends circled around me. My friend Anne took my hand and said, “Let’s pray right now.” Right there, in front of the whole waiting room, loud enough for everyone to hear, my friends prayed. They lifted Preston and the medical team and Jack and me to God, and they asked for every good thing. Five days later, Preston went home from the hospital.
That crisis was one I couldn’t have weathered by myself. I was helpless to heal Preston, helpless to affect the outcome of the surgery, helpless even to keep myself calm and peaceful. God alone could provide what was needed.

Of course, the time of Preston’s surgery was really just a special example of what God does for us every day. Most days we don’t feel as helpless and dependent as I felt that day, but the truth is that we wouldn’t even have air to breathe if it weren’t for the goodness and grace of God. Were it not for God’s grace, we wouldn’t have our children, much less be able to care for them. Oh, yes! Parenthood is definitely something that we and God are doing together!

But to tell the truth, God doesn’t always answer prayers as we’d like. Sometimes terrible things happen to children of parents who pray for them earnestly and faithfully. Theologians of different persuasions offer various explanations for this; they refer to it “the problem of evil.” Some of their explanations are helpful; others are not. The humbling reality is that we don’t understand exactly how God works. We don’t know why some prayers are answered “yes” and some are answered “no.” Some things are a mystery to us.

One thing we can know for sure, though: God loves us. “We know and rely on the love God has for us” (I John 4:16). When it comes to our children, we struggle. We cry. We’re afraid. Sometimes the things we fear come to pass. But when we pray for our children, we’re staking a claim. We’re saying that we trust God. We’re depending on Him for the very best for our children. God alone is strong enough overcome the most difficult of circumstances. 


Not even the things we fear most can separate us from God’s love in Christ (Romans 8:38-39).

As we pray for our children, we’re becoming people who know–really know–that God is good. We thank Him for blessing us with our kids. We humbly rely on Him as we do the work with which He’s entrusted us. We humble ourselves before Him and spend time with Him, and He changes our hearts to be more like the heart of Christ. As we become more Christlike, we want to spend more time with him. Then when we spend more time with Him, He changes our hearts some more. Just like parenting, our growth in Christlikeness is completely dependent upon God–but God has given us work to do. We are working together with God. We have a lot to talk with Him about, don’t we?


Thank you so much for sharing from your heart Richella! You have given us a lot to think about as we continue to grow in our understanding of how much more God loves our children than even we do. It seems impossible and yet that is the same love he feels for each and every one of us!

Now, here are the Biblical Virtues to be Praying for your Kids this week:

Sunday– Generosity: “Grant that my children may be generous and willing to share, and so lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age.” (1 Timothy 6:18-19)
Monday– Peace-loving: “Father let my children make every effort to do what leads to peace.” (Romans 14:19)
Tuesday– Joy: “May my children be filled with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Thessalonians 1:6)
Wednesday– Perseverance: “Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to run with perseverance the race marked out for them.” (Hebrews 12:1)
Thursday– Humility: “God, please cultivate in my children the ability to show true humility toward all.” (Titus 3:2)
Friday– Compassion: “Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion.” (Colossians 3:12)
Saturday– Responsibility: “Grant that my children may learn responsibility, for each one should carry his own load. ” (Galatians 6:5)
A big thank you again to Richella from Imparting Grace for being our special guest here today and thanks to all of you for joining us for another Simply Sunday at the Fence!






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7 Comments Filed Under: Devotionals, Praying for your Kids, Simply Sundays

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Comments

  1. LDH says

    March 18, 2012 at 3:09 PM

    Such a great post from Richella written with faith and a tender heart.

    My post this week on Think on These Things is also about praying for our (older) kids. I would love for you to share this with us there.

    Kindly, Lorraine

    Reply
  2. marty (A Stroll Thru Life) says

    March 18, 2012 at 6:34 PM

    Praise the Lord for His Love, Mercy and Grace. Beautiful post and such a touching story. I will keep her son in prayer. God has much ahead for him. Hugs, Marty

    Reply
  3. Dayle @ A Collection of This and That says

    March 18, 2012 at 6:59 PM

    Beautiful post.

    Reply
  4. Linda says

    March 18, 2012 at 7:17 PM

    I love the Lord and I love how He works everything together for our good! Even,…and especially,… the hard things. I love Richella…and I loved her post. She always encourages me. Thank you for asking her to be your special quest!

    Linda @ Truthful Tidbits

    Reply
  5. Ange says

    March 18, 2012 at 10:40 PM

    I recently discovered RichellA’S BLOG AND lovE HER HEARt. sorry for the cRAZy typing, my laptop IS ON ITS LAST LEGS. i LOVE YOur hearts and how you share the Lord AND HIS LOVE FOR US ON YOUR BLOG AND ALSO INTRODUCTING US TO NEW BLOGS WHO SHARE THE SAME LOVE. THANKS FOR BLESSING ME TODAY, LOVE YOU GUYS!

    Reply
  6. elizabeth says

    March 18, 2012 at 11:30 PM

    I really needed and appreciate this post today. My daughter, son in law, and two grandchildren leave Tuesday as missionaries to Ghana.

    Reply
  7. Richella says

    March 18, 2012 at 11:58 PM

    Heather and Vanessa, thank you so much for letting me participate in this series! Parenting is such a privilege, but it’s definitely not something we can do our own, is it? God intends us to lean on Him and help one another. Thank you for making your blog a place for people to connect and encourage one another.

    I appreciate the two of y’all very much!

    Reply

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This is one of my most favorite projects from my b This is one of my most favorite projects from my book Life in Season! 

Because, if heaven has a fragrance, I’m fairly certain it smells like lilacs.

I think that somewhere along the way the verse in the Bible that said, ‘heaven will smell like lilacs’ just got lost in translation. But it HAD to have been in there at some point, right?

When I bury my head in the blossoms (which I absolutely MUST do every single time I walk past them), I immediately feel a stirring in my soul.

It seems like I wait forever for my lilac tree to bloom. Every year I anxiously watch as the buds begin to form on the branches and then when the blossoms finally burst forth I begin that agonizing process of deciding the absolute perfect moment to snip them and bring them inside.

And then, after all of that waiting and watching it’s just over…done. Because, unlike heaven, lilacs don’t last for an eternity. So, making my own lilac room spray seemed like the perfect way to enjoy their fragrance long after the blossoms have faded.

Here’s how to make it! Ingredients: Water, Vodka, Lilac fragrance oil. Directions: Fill spray bottle with 50/50 ratio of water to vodka. Add 12 drops of lilac oil. Give it a shake, spray and if the scent isn’t strong enough, simply add a few more drops of lilac oil.

Once you’ve made this lilac scented room spray you will be very tempted to spray it in every room in your house. And someone may want to use it in the bathroom to cover up other less…ummmm….pleasing aromas.

But, do not, I repeat do NOT, let them.

You’ve captured the fragrance of heaven in a bottle and you wouldn’t want to go and tarnish it now would you? 😉
We had two back to back days of sunshine (the most We had two back to back days of sunshine (the most we’ve had in a LONG time) and now we are back to pouring rain. This has officially confirmed what I’ve know to be true for awhile now.

I’m a MUCH better version of myself when the sun is shining! 🤪 So I’ll just be over here today plotting and planning how my husband and I can be snowbirds someday when the kids are out of the house.

If you could spend your winters (and apparently most of spring too!) in any part of the country, where would it be?
Happy weekend sweet friends!! We’ve had a LOT of Happy weekend sweet friends!! We’ve had a LOT of rain lately (which is saying something when you live in Oregon) and I’ll admit that it’s affecting my moods a bit. I feel like I’m dragging and struggling to find the energy to get stuff done. So don’t mind me if I’m over here looking at photos of my garden in the summertime and finding that it keeps me hopeful about those days to come. They will come, right?! 🤪. 

What are your favorite plants that you look forward to seeing in the summer?
We’re going to be giving our laundry room a make We’re going to be giving our laundry room a makeover soon. It’s LONG overdue! In fact, the folks from the counter company were just here taking measurements. While we have made some simple, inexpensive updates over the years, it still has many of the original elements from when the house was built in 1992.

Two of our bathrooms are also in need of major makeovers. And we’ve saved up enough money over the years to tackle those projects. But, for the most part, we made the decision to use the bulk of that money in another way. While we knew that it was financially wise to invest in our house, we also knew that the greatest investment we could make was in our children. 

I’ll admit, there are times where I see other people doing massive overhauls of their entire home in a matter of months and I feel a prick of envy. But, we decided that if our choice was between waiting a bit longer to enjoy a renovated bathroom or going on adventures as a family, we would choose adventures every time. And we don’t regret that decision for a single second. It’s not that we haven’t tackled home projects (we’ve done a lot!). It’s just that it’s been a slow and steady process. 

Most recently, we let our son pick where we would travel for spring break since this is his senior year of high school and we are trying to make up for lost time. With so much of life ‘paused’ for two years, we have appreciated these moments more than ever. And, since he’ll be heading to college in the fall, we are very aware of how important it is to spend this time together while we still have a modicum of control over everyone’s schedules.

We have many years left to remodel our home but only so much time left to make memories with our children.

And, while I’m always happy to look around my home and see rooms that are updated and more reflecting of our style, it doesn’t compare to the joy I feel when I look around my home and see the people I love the most who have been shaped by the many adventures we’ve experienced together.
Happy Saturday!! After endless days of rain (and h Happy Saturday!! After endless days of rain (and hail and snow) we are finally getting some sunshine and warmer temperatures. I’ll be honest, it’s really affected my spirits having one gloomy day after the next. So this is a much needed reprieve. Our cherry trees are showing off outside my kitchen window and we plan to get outside and make the most of these days while we have them.

What’s the weather like where you are?
“The devil, darkness, and death may swagger and “The devil, darkness, and death may swagger and boast, the pangs of life will sting for a while longer, but don’t worry; the forces of evil are breathing their last. Not to worry…HE’S RISEN!” (Charles R. Swindoll).

Happy Easter! He is risen indeed!
Who has believed our message? And to whom has the Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For he grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; he has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to him.

He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face, he was despised, and we did not esteem him. Surely our griefs he himself bore, and our sorrows he carried; yet we ourselves esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 

But he was pierced through for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon him, and by his scourging we are healed.

All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him. (Isaiah 53)
I try to always remember to put a water bottle in I try to always remember to put a water bottle in my car before I go to pick up my daughter from school. She didn't ask me to do this, but a few months ago I began to notice that she was often thirsty when she would get in the car. Her water bottle filled up at the beginning of the day was empty by the time school got out and she would ask if she could have some water from my hydroflask. So I make sure to have one waiting for her. It's just a simple thing, really. But, I want her to know that I'm paying attention, that I see her.

Isn't it amazing how small gestures can make us feel less invisible? Knowing that someone is thinking of us and takes the time to meet a need that we might not have even realized we had? These little acts can have big impacts. What is something that someone has done for you recently that made you feel valued and seen?

What have you done for someone else to remind them that you are paying attention to their needs?

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”
― Charles Dickens
“The next day the large crowd that had come to t “The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’ – John 12:9-19
#palmsunday
When the Lord blesses you with a glimpse of the pa When the Lord blesses you with a glimpse of the payoff of your investment in your children, it is truly one of the greatest gifts. We had that experience twice this week with our 18 year old son and were overwhelmed by this opportunity we had to watch as he handled two very different situations (one personal and one professional) with grace, maturity, integrity and courage. Those of you mamas of little ones, don't ever minimize the job you are doing in raising this next generation. 

Every story read at bedtime
Every correction made to strengthen character
Every outdoor exploration
Every nose wiped
Every bandaid applied
Every time you say no when the world says yes
Every night of helping with homework
Every difficult conversation
Every prayer uttered

The final pieces of the puzzle of his childhood are falling into place and the picture revealed is one that is more wonderful than we could have imagined. And we know that it is only by God's grace on us as we sought His wisdom and guidance that we have come to this point. We have been FAR from perfect parents, but one of my most sincere prayers for the past 18 years was that the Lord would stand in the gaps that were surely to be revealed by our imperfections. And He has answered those prayers again and again. He's taken my humble petitions and most sincere intentions and knocked our socks off with the young man we are so privileged to call our son. And we can’t wait to watch as his future unfolds!
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