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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

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March 25, 2012

Praying for your Kids series…Part 4 and a Guest!

This is the final week of our series:



We have spent the last four weeks being encouraged by the words of some very special moms as they have shared their wonderful insights into how prayer has impacted their families.


This week we are capping off the series with another very special guest!
Kristin of Sweet Country Life has been a lovely friend to us since even before our Picket Fence days. Her blog is filled with charming, honest and sincere snippets from her Sweet Country Life but more than anything, her love for the Lord and her family shine through in every word. 


Let’s welcome Kristin now as she shares with us from her heart…


 


~Filling In The Gaps~

When Vanessa and I first spoke of her new series. I was so excited to be a part of it!

What a great topic….

Praying for our children.

And right away. I felt and had the need to share that one of the most powerful ways that I can and have prayed for my children is to pray that God will “fill in the gaps.”

What does that mean exactly?

Well, we all know…that the moment they place that new baby in our arms. Whether born to us or adopted. That we are so utterly sure that we will love this child unconditionally. That we will do our best and that we will be the mostperfect parents…Ever.

And as you well know.
Perfection is a myth.
And no matter how much we desire to do our best with the raising of our children. We are human. And so are they. We will stumble and we will fall.
And at times…we will fail.
We will fail them.
We will fail ourselves.
And we will need help.

We will need Him.

And whether you are a seasoned mother.
Or a new mommy.

It’s so very important that you know this.

You are not alone.
And the successes and failures of your children do not rise and fall with you.
Oh yes.
It’s extremely easy to pat ourselves on the back when our children are successful!

But, what about when our children….fail at something?
Do you also feel the failure in your job as parent.
Most likely.
And it can be extremely painful.
However….
You have a very important and much needed tool at your disposal. And my friend, it is the most powerful tool of all.

The power to pray that God will fill in the gaps.
It will change your life.
And that of your children.

Isn’t that amazing?

Many, many times I have asked Him, begged Him, to fill in the gaps of my parenting choices.
To stand in the middle of where I think I may be succeeding or am sure that I am failing.
I pray that He draws them near.
That He lifts them up and pulls them forward.
That it is He who changes their heart.
Who convicts them between right and wrong.
That bathes them in peace.
That shows them the path.
That beckons righteousness and humility.

Despite my most well meaning of intentions.

Oh sure, I may think that I am doing all of the molding and shaping.
Bending their lives in the directions that I think are best with my limited knowledge of the future.
But the truth is…
I have zero knowledge of their future.
And I need Him.
Because He is the one who knows.
He is the only hope and trust that I have, because He loves these children, my children, His children. More that I can ever imagine.

And that is powerful, powerful stuff, isn’t it?
And so freeing.

There is freedom in giving up the control.
Freedom in knowing that although I do my best.
And sometimes not so best.
He is better.
He will see them through.

And so for me, when I think of the way that praying for my children has shaped me, challenged me, and nurtured my heart and soul.
Or my children for that matter.

This is what I wanted to share with all of you.

May God bless you on your journey, with hope and peace.
Be encouraged…
You are doing a wonderful job of loving your children.
God knows our hearts and desires and He will give us the strength, love, tools and help that we need!

Psalm 37: 3-6

Kristin

Wow! We thank you so much Kristin for this wonderfully encouraging and truth-filled message today. What a relief it is to know that God will fill in the gaps for us and for our children if we are willing to trust Him!

picketfence_20010_thumb[18]

And now for the final list of Biblical Virtues to pray for your kids!
Sunday: Contentment~ “Father, teach my children the secret of being content in any and every situation, through Him who gives them strength.” (Philippians 4:12-13)
Monday: Faith~ “I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children’s hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them.” (Luke 17:5-6, Hebrews 11:1-40)
Tuesday: A Servant’s Heart~ “God, please help my children develop servants’ hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, as if they were serving the Lord, not men.” (Ephesians 6:7)
Wednesday: Hope~ “May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)
Thursday: Willingness and Ability to Work~ “Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work at it with all their heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” (Colossians 3:23)
Friday: Passion for God~ “Lord, please instill in my children a soul that ‘followeth hard after thee’ (Psalms 63:8), one that clings passionately to you.”
Saturday: Self-Discipline~ “Father, I pray that my children may acquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair.” (Proverbs 1:3)
*adapted from Pray! Magazine*


When we first discussed doing this series, we knew it would never be a blockbuster by “blogging” standards. It wouldn’t receive the most comments, emails, “pins”, etc.
It wasn’t likely to be tweeted about or tagged on Facebook.
But, that’s OK!

Our desire for all of our Simply Sunday posts, is that you might come here and find encouragement, support and maybe even some words of wisdom as you journey through this crazy life.
And, as mothers ourselves, we deeply desire that our children know and feel the love of God from us and through us. We can’t think of any greater legacy we could leave them than an understanding of His love and grace and the sacrifice He made for them…for us…for you!
As we enter into the Holy Season of Good Friday and Easter, we pray that this love would be more real to you than ever and that you will feel it in a new and fresh way.
We are so grateful to all of our Special Guests for being apart of the Praying for Your Kids Series!
If you missed the previous installments you can find them by clicking here.
May your week be richly blessed and thank you so much for joining us on this Simply Sunday,
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7 Comments Filed Under: Devotionals, Good Thoughts, Guest Posts, Simply Sundays

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Comments

  1. Sue says

    March 25, 2012 at 1:31 PM

    Wow. I clicked your link from The Polka Dot Closet to find some new DIY ideas and found this post instead. I SO needed this today, not just for my family but for myself. Thank you so much for doing this and to Kristen, your post was amazing and so inspiring to me. He tries so hard to reach us, no matter how many distractions we throw in his path 🙂

    Reply
  2. NanaDiana says

    March 25, 2012 at 1:37 PM

    What a beautiful, eloquent, heart-warming, inspiring (did I miss anything) post! Beautifully said! xo Diana

    Reply
  3. Alicia Robicheaux says

    March 25, 2012 at 3:09 PM

    I had no idea about this. I’m anxious to see the whole series. (hugs)

    Reply
  4. Amit and Heather says

    March 25, 2012 at 3:57 PM

    I loved this series!!! My husband and I don’t have kids yet, but I have saved all the virtues, so I can pray for them when we do! I’m also sending this to a friend who just had a baby – she’ll love it! Thanks so much!

    Reply
  5. White Ironstone Cottage says

    March 25, 2012 at 10:58 PM

    I have enjoyed this so much what a Blessing
    xxoo
    Pam

    Reply
  6. Amy Kinser says

    March 26, 2012 at 5:04 AM

    What a blessing to read this today. I have prayed many times for God’s grace to “catch” my children when they fall because of my mistakes or something I didn’t teach them. Does that make any sense at all? I love praying for God to fill in the gaps.

    blessings to you all…

    Reply
  7. Susan (My Place to Yours) says

    April 3, 2012 at 11:48 AM

    Once again, God’s timing is perfect! I’m waaaay behind on blog visiting, but this morning I finally read this post, and Kristin has beautifully written what I have so often prayed and claimed in my heart for my children. They are now in their late 20s, and I still pray that God will fill in the gaps (but I never used those words until now). What wonderful imagery. Thank you Kristin, Heather, and Vanessa — and I wish a blessed celebration of our risen Lord for each of you. Happy Easter!

    Reply

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I've been watching our cherry trees bloom for 12 y I've been watching our cherry trees bloom for 12 years now and every year I ohhhh and ahhhh over the blossoms like it's the first time I've ever seen them. I gush and I take photos (that look exactly like the ones I took the year before and the year before that) and I make my family come outside and look at them with me which you know they just LOVE to do. 😉 I think that is one of the main reasons why I love spring so much. On the one hand, it's predictable and yet, on the other hand, it still feels like such a surprise after the long months of barren branches.

And yesterday, as I was staring at the gorgeous blossoms for the umpteenth time, I couldn't help but think that I hope this is how I feel when our lives return to some semblance of normalcy.

I hope that the predictable feels special and that the typical feels anything but. I hope that I ohhh and ahhh over the simple things I've realized I've taken for granted. And, most of all, I hope that feeling doesn't go away for a very, very long time! 💗
Are you living with great expectation friends? Bec Are you living with great expectation friends? Because He is risen!

Happy Easter from my home to yours!
Lemon bars all ready for tomorrow! It’s going to Lemon bars all ready for tomorrow! It’s going to be a different kind of Easter for sure but some things don’t change. Have you been baking and getting ready for tomorrow? What’s one thing on your menu that you have to have every year?
If this is Good Friday, why doesn’t it feel so “good”? It all seems backward doesn’t it?

What could be good about the unspeakable pain he suffered? What could be good about the shame and betrayal?

Easter Sunday is so joyful, bright and cheery. Shouldn’t that be the day we call “good”? It just feels so much better!

But, I don’t know how to rejoice over His resurrection, unless I have felt the pain of His death. I have realized that in life the sweetest victories are the ones which were realized after a pain-filled journey.

And, so it is with Good Friday. I know there will be victory over death, but I can’t skip ahead in the story.

Jesus knew what was coming. He knew what he would experience. And he knew why he would go through it. He did it for me. He did it for you.

Do you know that? Have you felt it down in the very core of your soul? 
Sometimes it makes me squirm a bit. Why would anyone do that for me?

Well, because, I can’t do it for myself!

There is nothing I can do to earn that kind of love and mercy.

That is why it is called GRACE.

His grace is freely given. We don’t have to pay for it. He paid the price for us already.

Do you remember that movie from years ago called “Ransom”? A couple’s young son was kidnapped and the parents went to hell and back trying to find him and pay the “ransom” demanded by the kidnappers.

Well, Jesus is our “ransom”. (1 Timothy 2:6) His life was the payment.

Why is it called “Good Friday”? Because that wasn’t the end of the story….
.
…It was just the beginning!
Raise your hand if there’s a table in your house Raise your hand if there’s a table in your house that’s become the landing zone for ALL THE THINGS! 🙋🏻‍♀️🤪 I’ve never been more thankful for our rarely used dining room table as it’s become command central for school books and laptops and games.

Where are things collecting in your house right now?
“Sighing, tears, frustration, anger.” Every si “Sighing, tears, frustration, anger.” Every single one of these emotions has made their way through our home in recent days and, my guess is, they have in your home too.

I SO needed this reminder today from the new book ‘Adore’ by @sarahagertywrites.

Adoration isn’t just sitting at His feet gazing longingly with stars in my eyes. It’s bringing my fears and my sorrows and gray roots in my hair that desperately needs to be colored and my messy house and all of the things that threaten to send me over the edge right now and laying them down before Him, soaking up His word and His presence so that when I stand back up, I am changed for having spent the time adoring the ONE who is... Healer, comforter, peace-giver, deliverer, redeemer.

What do you need to bring to Him today? I’ll share mine in the comments and I’d love to hear from you too!
I’ve always loved evenings, but since this whole I’ve always loved evenings, but since this whole lockdown thing began, I’ve come to appreciate this time of day even more.

It feels the most...normal. Daytime is strange and foreign right now. My husband has taken over our home office, I’m suddenly taking over the responsibility of managing my kids’ distance learning and let me just say that teaching 7th grade algebra to my daughter is hugely ironic since I struggled with math all the way through school. I’m trying to do my own work but it feels utterly futile with the constant interruptions which take precedence right now. In the daytime, I’m constantly reminded of how upside down life feels.

But, in the evening, I cook dinner like I’ve always done and we gather around the table like we’ve always done and we laugh and tell stories and then clean up and play games or go on a walk or watch a show. And that feels SO gloriously normal.

So now I love evenings even more than I ever did before and I’m so grateful for this little chunk of time where the rhythms we established years ago are helping to sustain us now when so much of life feels outside of our control.

What feels ‘normal’ to you right now? Whatever it is, keep doing it. 🌿
When I was in college I would frequently call home When I was in college I would frequently call home and pour my heart out to my mom, sharing with her all that was happening in my life in that completely unfiltered way that you can talk with the person who potty trained you. These phone calls usually took place at night and my mom would patiently listen as I vented frustrations about professors, roommates, boyfriends and the food in the cafeteria. And, inevitably, they would end with my mom saying, “Everything seems worse when you’re tired. Try not to overthink things or make any major decisions tonight, especially when you are feeling emotional.” Dear friends, may I pass along this advice to you today?

If you don’t absolutely HAVE to make a decision right now, I want to encourage you to wait until life gets back to normal. If you are finding yourself over-analyzing relationships and family dynamics, I want to encourage you to remember that everything seems more dramatic when looked at under a microscope. And, let’s face it, being homebound with our loved ones non-stop makes us all feel like lab rats in an experiment.

If you are tempted to quit a job, start a business, start homeschooling permanently, stop homeschooling permanently, move to a new city, buy a farm, quit pursuing your dream, join a commune or make any other major life decision just…wait. Because, if it is in fact the right decision, it will be made even clearer once our lives return to their ‘regularly scheduled programming’. Instead, in this strange season, let’s all just take a deep, collective breath and let it out slowly, releasing the anxiety that threatens to overtake us. Let’s help each other maintain some perspective and not slip into a posture of over-thinking every little thing in our lives. Let’s remember that the enemy of our souls would love nothing more than to use this time when things feel dark to manipulate us into thinking that aspects of our lives are worse than they actually are.

My prayer for you in these days is that you will have the clarity to know what is true and that you will be filled with peace even while we live in this season of so many unknowns.
Raise your hand if you’re doing more baking thes Raise your hand if you’re doing more baking these days! 🙋🏻‍♀️ I’m trying to avoid gaining the #corona15 but my daughter and I LOVE baking together and it does help to pass the time plus it counts as a science lesson right?

If you’re able to find flour in the stores (for the love people please stop overbuying!) and you’re doing more baking at your house too you need to add this apricot bread to your list of new recipes to try!

Normally I’d point you to my blog for the directions but I’m going to do you a solid and leave the full recipe in the comments.

What have you baked so far during this time of social distancing? I’d love some new ideas!
There are a LOT of people out walking in our neigh There are a LOT of people out walking in our neighborhood right now (but still social distancing!) and she decided that she wanted to bring them some joy and put a smile on their face when they pass by our house. Also, the square with ‘say no to coronavirus’ is priceless. 😂 I just love her so much!
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