A Prayer for My Children

Father, they are asleep down the hall right now, and I stood in their doorway listening to them breathe, my heart so full it almost hurts. I love them more than I know how to carry.

I confess I am afraid for them. I cannot follow them everywhere, cannot soften every fall, cannot be the one who answers the door when the hard things come knocking. My love is fierce and my reach is small.

So I lift each of them to You by name, the One whose love is wider than mine and never sleeps. Go where I cannot go. Stand where I cannot stand. Be the floor beneath them when their world tilts.

Guard their hearts from bitterness. Grow kindness in them like a slow root. Let them know they are wanted, that they were never an accident, that they carry Your fingerprints.

You promised that You would teach my children and great would be their peace. Teach them, Lord. Speak in the quiet places I will never reach.

I unclench my grip and hand them back to the One who lent them to me. Keep them, even when I cannot. They were always more Yours than mine, and that is my deepest comfort tonight. Amen.