Please welcome, LaRae Humes, as she shares this beautiful and heartfelt prayer for her young daughter for this new year of life. As a “seasoned” mom, it is so special to me to see young moms caring so well for their babies. And by caring well, I mean leaning into God’s provision through prayer. Prayer is the very best thing we can do for our children. Thank you, LaRae, for sharing your heart with us. It is a true joy to have you with us. For more of LaRae’s writings, visit her blog, My Musings. You’ll be so glad you did.
To my sweet daughter as you lay in your bed—
As 2016 begins and we celebrate your first year of life, it is our heart’s desire that we show you who Jesus is. To show you ways in which we can love others. To show you what serving looks like. To show you what sacrifice means. To show you how to serve and love others well. To show you what it means to be confident and brave. To show you what it means to hold unswervingly to the faith we profess. To show you in whom we find hope. To show you that you will be loved no matter what. To show you what it means to live a life of adventure. To show you how to trust. To show you what it means to lean into the Truth. To show you how to get back up when you fall. To show you how to forgive as you have been forgiven. To show you how to live out our family motto— ‘Love God. Love People. Have a Purpose’.
With these desires comes self-inflicted pressure to do this all on my own. I am not on this path of parenting alone, and for that, I am grateful. The adage ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ rings true. Your father, our community, family and friends, and other people that I do not yet know will influence you; my hope is that they, too, point you to Christ.
Oh, precious child, I want you to see my imperfections and brokenness. For you see, as your parents, we will fail you. You will see brokenness, imperfection, and sinful nature in the years that you are under our roof and in our care; I know that full well. But more importantly, I long for my shortcomings to draw you nearer to our Perfect Creator. His power is made perfect in weakness.
‘Love God. Love People. Have a Purpose’. In 2016, we will intentionally exhibit this motto to the best of our abilities, not because it is a goal, rather it is a lifestyle. A perspective. A shift to become others focused. We yearn for you to love God, above all else. May you find your purpose in the Lord alone—not being defined by this world. We are called to love others and serve them well, we pray you find joy in this. May these longings be displayed in our lives, so that you may see us and praise our Heavenly Father. We have cherished these months of your adventurous and brave life. We look forward to all that God has in store for our family in the coming year.
Thank you for this whirlwind of a year—all the blessings, changes, and challenges—sweet Harper. We pray in hopes that you will see His goodness amidst all we have reflected on the previous year. We praise the Father for each and every day of the year to come. We pray this simple letter brings joy, love, and hope to you. We wait expectantly for what 2016 will bring.
We love you and pray that we will forever point you to Christ!
All our love,
Your Imperfect & Very Blessed Parents
LaRae is a lover of Jesus, family, and being outdoors. She loves to run, cook and bake and read. She is so very blessed! Join her in this journey of loving God, others, being a first-time momma, and more as she blogs at My Musings.
Empty Plate . Full Heart 