Mary Did You Know

The Christmas season is over.
However, I couldn't help but think of a popular Christmas song this morning during church.
We didn't talk about Mary, or Joseph, or Jesus' miraculous birth.
We spoke nothing of Bethlehem, or any other aspect of Jesus' life here on earth for that matter.

Rather, praying for a young woman in our church family brought Mary Did You Know to mind.

As we circled around Amanda and prayed for her upcoming mission trip, I couldn't help but praying for my own daughters.  All 4 of them.

I prayed they would grow up to be like Amanda.
Brave.
Courageous.
Willing to go wherever God sent them.
Passionate about reaching the lost.
Purposeful in making each day count.
Prepared to travel to the deepest, darkest corners of the world to share the Gospel.
Ready to serve anyone and everyone, spreading the Hope and Love of Jesus with people HERE and far, far, far away and everywhere in between.

I wondered if Amanda's mom knew her daughter would grow up and want to serve God in this way, go on this type of mission trip?

I wondered if she looked her baby girl in the eye and saw a woman who would change the world?

I wondered if she rocked her baby girl to sleep dreaming about all the things her daughter would grow up and do?

I wondered if she held her baby girl tight and whispered in her ear that she could do anything God put on her heart to do?

I wondered if she would sneak into her room at night to watch her baby girl sleep and pray for God to use her daughter to do a mighty work?

I wondered if Amanda's mom knew the impact her daughter would have on MY daughters.

I wonder all the same things as I look at and hold and kiss my baby girls.  Only one of my 4 girls is really a baby now.  But still, I watch them all and wonder...

I KNOW God has a beautiful plan for EACH of my girls.
I KNOW He created each of them in a special and unique way for a very specific reason.
I KNOW He has a purpose for each of them.
I KNOW He can and will use them to accomplish BIG things, to build His kingdom here on earth, to bring the lost to Himself, to restore hope and spread joy, to instill peace and stir up a fire in people's souls so they too will want Jesus more than anything else.

I don't know exactly how or when He will do these things.
I DO understand it's a matter of WHEN, not if.
I realize He can do anything He wants, whenever He wants.
And I am beyond excited to watch and see His plans unfold.
Even better, I am blessed more than words could ever say that I get to play a role in the life God has for each of my girls.

As we prayed for Amanda, I prayed for MY girls too.
I encourage you to pray for YOUR children.
Be BOLD in your prayers.
And be willing to hold your children in open hands so God has total freedom to work in and through them as He desires.  We can't keep them safe.  We can't protect them.  We CAN trust God with them and KNOW He will do amazing things with them.  We CAN believe He loves them even more than we ever could.  And thus we can pray in such a way for them...

I invite you to listen to the song again and this time, think about your own children.
We can't ever know God's full plans for them right this minute, but I ask you to dream.
Dream for your children.  Of what God can do in their lives.
And how He can use YOU in that process.

Oh the wonder!!