My Prayer

 I have always felt that I was put in Damon's kid's lives for a reason.

No matter what happens with Damon and me, even if for some reason we don't work out, I hope and pray that I will have had at least a small impact on the kids. I pray that I can instill  some values into their lives, about character and integrity, humility, and kindness. 

I am FAR from perfect and definitely have much to work on with myself, but I truly hope that I can teach them about Jesus and about how as Christ followers, it's okay and often required to be counter-cultural, to not always go along with things because it's "what everyone else is doing." I hope to teach them that it's okay to be different, that's it's okay if they're not one of the "cool kids". I want them to know and be confident in who they are and in WHOSE they are and to be unapologetically themselves. I want them to be less concerened with being "cool" and trying to fit in and more concerned with following and living by God's truth, with being humble and kind and loving, and never looking down on anyone for what they do or don't have.

What I pray for them more than anything-more than any worldly success or fame or a good career-is that they will truly know and follow Jesus above all else. I pray that the culture won't sink their claws into them and suck them in with fake promises of love and acceptance and popularity via likes and follows, or by it's distorted view of "truth", and it's focus on all the things that don't matter. I pray that they will mature and grow in faith and Godly wisdom and that they will develop an eternal perspective-one that is about so much more than success, money, and/or looks. 

I pray every day that God will continue working in me to be the best I can be for them, in the role that I have in their lives. I pray that He will help me to love them well, and to be an encouragement and support to them. I pray that He will give me wisdom and help me to model these values in their lives, not only with my words but in my actions as well. 

I don't know if anything I say registers with them right now or if I just annoy them most of the time(ha!), but I can only do the best I can with the opportunities I'm given and let God work and speak though me. I just hope that something will stick and take root in their hearts for their faith and love for God to grow. If I can even play just a teeny part in that, then I have succeeded.