Promises & Prayers to Help You Pray for & With Your ChildrenMfano

 Born with Significance

Jesus tells us that loving God with all we are is the most important commandment, but that there is a second commandment like it—to love our neighbor as ourselves. We know that loving others is important to do, but sometimes it is easy to forget that what sets the standard for the way we are able to love others is the way we are able to love ourselves. We have to understand our own value in order to value other people well. We cannot give away a higher level of love than we are able to receive.

Many people struggle with loving themselves, and they fight a painful, lifelong battle to find self-esteem, identity, and purpose. That is one battle our children won’t need to fight when we teach them early on to see themselves the way God sees them. He calls us a chosen people, a royal priesthood who are His special possession. Jesus also calls us His friends and coheirs. Our value is not defined by what we think about ourselves, but by who God says we are. We cannot afford to have a thought in our head about ourselves that God does not have in His head about us.

We must teach our children that God has designed each person with a unique destiny and significance for his or her specific time on the earth. Our presence on the earth and the timing of our children or grandchildren’s births—none of these were an accident. God designed us all with personalities He has known intimately since before the creation of the world. As the adults in our children’s and grandchildren’s lives, we get to remind them of this daily. Once they know who God made them to be, they will know that they were born with significance, and they will never doubt their value or want to be anyone else.

Of course, understanding their own significance is never meant to become a source of entitlement or selfishness in our children. Jesus knew that He was divine royalty—the very Son of God—and from that awareness of His identity, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet! He then told the disciples that based on His example, they should wash each other’s feet. Because we know our significance and value, we can serve others well, and we can train our children to do likewise.

God, You knit identity and value into every cell of ___’s body, mind, and spirit. Father, I ask that You show me ways to encourage ___, to speak life into who You created ___ to be and how precious ___ is to You and to me. Holy Spirit, help me to slow down and really see my amazing child, one with a destiny given by God Himself. Show me opportunities to serve the people around me, Lord, modeling for ___ what servant-hearted leadership looks like. 

For Time with Your Child

Ask: What do you think are some of the special ingredients God used to make you who you are? Tell me some of the great things about yourself. 

Pray: Thank You, God, that you made me on purpose with a special destiny for my life. Help me to show the other people around me how important they are as well. 

Declare: I am important. How God made me is amazing!

Do: Think of one person that you can honor today. Write a card, make a phone call or tell them face-to-face why you think they’re so special.