Determined and independent, my daughter’s personality is blossoming more and more every day. Eager to start each day, she rattles her crib railings in the morning until I sweep her up in a great, big embrace. Next, as soon as she hears the metallic jiggle of his dog tags, she quickly scans and wiggles around to greet Finnegan. We open the wooden blinds of her nursery window to greet the sunshine through the iced over and foggy window glass. I whisper a soft, je t’aime, ma belle, into her ear and we snuggle for a fleeting moment before she begins her morning explorations in the laundry basket and her quests to locate any extension cords that might have been left within her crawling reach. In between diaper changes, food adventures and kitchen dance parties, we do one other thing without fail in our little morning routine: we state our mission and truth for the day. Since she speaks only in babbles right now, Ellie mostly listens, but soon enough she will join in my chorus:
Je suis belle.
Je suis bien aimée par Dieu.
Je suis bien aimée par ma famille.
Au’jourd-hui, je vais aimer les autres.
Translation:
I am beautiful.
I am loved by God.
I am loved by my family.
Today I will love others.
My prayer is that our little morning mantra will instill in her a foundational confidence in knowing that she is not only beautiful, but that she is unconditionally loved, and because she has this great abundance of love, her purpose every day is simply to pass that love onto others. This is my prayer for her, it is my prayer for me, and it is my prayer for you. Additionally, here are prayers of promise I am praying over Ellie that I invite you to pray over your children alongside me.
Let my daughter’s heart be forever filled with joyful curiosity about the world around her and about the people You bring into her life. Paint her perspective with natural optimism and confident faith for the moments in her journey where much unknown lays ahead of her. Teach her own to lean into the unknown and how to relish the delight that comes in knowing that You have her future in Your hands.
Let anxiety be a stranger to my child. Gift her with a sustained faith that she can confidently live out to know that it is not her job to worry about the future. Bless her with a mindset of financial abundance – an attitude that comes through knowing without a doubt that You will always provide for her every need. Put in her deep wells gratitude towards Your provisions that she might never question her trust in You and that she might be a good steward of what You allow her to be entrusted with.
Let the words of her life be defined by the fruits of the spirit, that her conversations with others might always uplift, encourage and inspire hope and love into those she meets. Give her wisdom beyond her years to treat her tongue with respect, that she might use it to glorify You and to love others well.
Prayer is powerful and, as a parent, writing out and sharing these prayers releases me from any anxiety I might otherwise feel because they remind me that ultimately Ellie is in God’s great and gracious hands. He loves her, He cares for her, and here on Earth He has given me the privilege of being His hands and feet (and kisses and hugs) to express His love to her.
xoxo
Trish
PS: If you want more prayers for your children, check out my other “prayers for Ellie” posts:
Post #1: Baby Girl Prayers: http://bit.ly/1JXz7ow
Post#2: 10 Prayers for Your Baby: http://bit.ly/1Nv2L3q
Post#3: Prayers for Protection: http://bit.ly/1DTajwW
Post #4: Prayers for Prosperity: http://bit.ly/1NM0GQ2