Lately, my three year old son has been having nightmares a lot, to the point where he is afraid to go to sleep. It means long nights for mommy and daddy. Some nights I feel compassion for him, and some nights I am just plain worn out!
Instead of dealing with hours of crying and getting out of bed, I have started what I know is probably a bad habit of rubbing his head until he falls asleep. One night, I decided to just let him cry it out. It was TERRIBLE. For starters, he shares a room with his 9 month old brother who woke up to the screams of terror and joined in! I was just exhausted. Finally, I gave in and went in to put them both asleep. I was so frustrated and just started praying about the whole thing.
Then my attitude changed as I was looking down at the tear stained sleepy faces and I started to pray for them – hey I was already on my knees! This has started a new habit for me of praying for my boys as I kneel beside them at night. I have always prayed for them in bits during the day, but I feel like God has used these nightmares and scared times of Eóin to almost make me really get serious about praying for them.
Now, I have started praying over different aspects of their lives each night. For example:
I pray for their bodies physically, that they will be healthy and kept from danger.
I pray for their hearts, that they will give them to God, and save them for the one they will marry one day. That they will be good husbands and daddies and I also pray for their future wives.
I pray for their minds, that they will be kept pure from all the filth the world will throw at them and that God will give us wisdom to know how to help them deal with it all. And that they will do well in school and that I will have wisdom to know how best to teach them.
I pray over their strengths and weaknesses as I see then now and ask God to use them for his glory in the future.
I pray for their relationship – that they will always be friends and encourage each other to walk with God.
I have really been enjoying this time with the Lord and with my boys (even though they are sleeping). Even though it always starts out as an inconvenience to me, it always turns out to be a blessing. I really want to grow in my prayer life in other ways during the year (although I hope there will be no more bad dreams to get me there!).
Posted by Fran Campbell on March 15, 2010 at 5:44 am
Karen,
Such a lovely blog……it shows a true mother’s heart. Reading it brought back so many memories of raising my three children. Now they are all grown with children of their own. My mother’s prayers have turned into grandmother’s prayers. God’s work is never done. Keep up the writing. It is a blessing to others.
Fran
Posted by Linda on March 15, 2010 at 5:42 pm
Karen,
I was so blessed when I read your blog. I was there when the two boys cried at night. It can be frustrating so I am pleased that it has turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I am proud of you my precious daughter.
Love Mammy
Posted by Cathie Harrison on May 20, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Somehow I missed this when you posted it! This was so sweet it made me cry! I have often done the same thing when for some reason I can’t sleep. It is a blessing that you take a “negative” experience and turn it into something positive. Satan must hate when we do that!
You are a blessing!
Posted by Clare Cowdrey on June 21, 2010 at 6:54 pm
Karen,
I have just read this and it has brought tears to my eyes!!Your boys are lucky to have such a faithful, Godly woman as their mother and you have challenged me in how best to respond in those moments when you feel like crying right along with them! Thank you xxx