I've been praying for my five daughters lately, and thinking about their futures. They each have their own personalities, their own dreams, and their own spiritual path to follow. I fully believe God has a GOOD plan for each of their lives, and I pray they follow Him.
With my oldest daughter just one year from graduating high school, I'm realizing time is short, and I've been thinking more about my wishes for their future.
1. I hope they find a husband who is a strong Christian, sensitive to the Holy Spirit, growing in their walk with God, with a teachable spirit.
2. I hope they find a husband who will look at them on the days they are tired or sick or in the midst of caring for their family (in other words, looking messy) and genuinely find them beautiful ... telling them so often.
3. I hope they have a husband who listens to them, and values their opinions. I hope their husband wants to know about their day, their struggles, and their dreams.
4. I hope God sends them a husband who leads the family with strength, confidence, and sensitivity. I hope he has a servant's heart for his family. I hope he is a loving and involved father.
5. I hope their husband is a hard-worker, a good provider, known for his dependability and his integrity.
6. I hope they have a husband who will laugh with them, who understands their sense of humor, and who is their very best friend.
7. I hope they find God's direction for their own life ... whether to pursue a career, whether to try to juggle it with a family, whether to work part-time, or to be a stay-at-home or work-at-home mom. I hope they follow God's plan for their life and rejoice in it.
8. I hope they learn to be content with wherever God puts them, whatever He gives them, and whatever His plans are for their life. I hope they see the good in His plan, even if it's not what they dreamed of.
9. I hope they know that their value comes from God, in who He created them to be, and in their relationship with Him. Even if they do not marry, or marry later in life, or face struggles in their marriages, I hope they realize it is not a judgement on them. I hope they will find their strength and their comfort in Christ, if they remain single or if their marriages fall apart.
10. I hope that they will continue to grow in their relationship with God, all of their life. May they never run from Him, may they always seek His direction, and may they be sensitive to His voice. If they do, they will be prepared for whatever twists and turns and trials life may throw at them.
I don't really have a specific vision for my daughters' lives. I know that God has a plan for them, and I hope they follow His plan, but I don't want to place my expectations on them. Sure, I'd like it if they were stay-at-home moms who homeschool, but that may not be what God wants for their families, and I have to trust Him to lead them.
My main hope is for them to grow ever closer to God, find joy in Him, and have a heavenly vision that looks above their circumstances. That is the prayer I keep praying for them. Everything else will fall into place, if they just hold strong in their faith.
Praying daily,
April E.
