My wife wrote this awhile back but I love it so much it’s worth re-posting:

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At a conference I recently attended there were some girls ranging in age from 6 to 10 in attendance.

I enjoyed seeing these precious little girls raising their hands in worship with smiles on their faces.

It was clear they loved being a part of the conference, almost like they expected even at this young age, something life changing was going to take place.

Or, at the very least, they felt special they were there.

During the three days, my focus kept going to one little girl in particular.

She reminded me of my Andrea Grace.

Same age, height, and pretty.

I loved watching her worship.

I enjoyed watching this little girl observe others around her worshiping.

It was so sweet and made me think of how blessed I am to know that my children will grow up with the peace, knowing there is something greater than themselves.

They will have direction in their life in good times and bad, because they have the words of Jesus stamped in their heart.

I’m so glad our kids are growing up in a welcoming, loving church.

I’m thrilled they are getting to know Jesus live out their God given purpose.

It’s funny how God works.

There were so many amazing speakers at the conference and words said that had an impact on me.

Yet, what resonated with me most, was watching the children in front of me.

I found myself praying something like this, but probably not as eloquently:

“Dear Jesus, I pray that my children will always love and serve You. I love them so much and can’t imagine my life without them, but more than that, I can’t imagine them living their lives’ without You. May they always have a heart sensitive to Your leading.”

My husband and I want the very best life for our children, like every other parent in this world does.

We are definitely far from perfect, all of us are.

If I’m praying a prayer like the one I mentioned above, I want to ensure I’m leading by example so it’s not just an empty prayer.

If I didn’t, it would be equivalent to me praying to God about my finances, but taking zero action to lead to a favorable outcome.

We wholeheartedly believe one of the greatest gifts we can give to our children is living our lives for Jesus and being deeply involved in the hope of the world… the local church.

I look forward to each night my children go to bed because number one, they are in bed and number two; I get to listen to their honest prayers.

I look forward to Sunday’s because it is their favorite day of the week and they pretty much smile all day long.

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Stacey, please write more often.