“I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him.” (Ephesians 1:16-17)

Father, you delivered our children to us to hold for a time, but not to hold too tightly. You sent them as a gift for us to treasure, knowing all the while they actually belonged to you, and we were allowed to nurture and protect them just for a season of their lives.

You asked us to train them to see the world with your eyes, to take note of those who are hardly seen, to help out rather than tear down. You wanted us to teach them the importance of their calling, to grasp that it matters what they do and who they are because you made them for some grand purpose they alone could fulfill.

You entrusted us with the task of showing them how to love you with all their heart, to make you a grand passion, to find their highest delight in knowing you deeply and pursuing you as if their very life depended on it.

With your strength infusing them, we taught them to look for ways to overcome and thrive in spite of all the challenges they might face. We were to encourage them to persevere when life was nothing but hard and their own abilities were no match for the fight. “Teach them to run to me,” you said. “Show them that ‘my power is made perfect in weakness’ (2 Corinthians 12:9) by letting them see that you depend on me.” We tried, Father. We tried to do just that.

This task of motherhood that you assigned has humbled us. In this role we are constantly aware of how desperately we need you, how easily we fail, how often we fall short. In spite of us, would you make our children the men and women you intended for them to be all along. Would you infuse them with your Spirit, enlighten their mind with your wisdom, and give them a desire to walk closely with you no matter what the prevailing winds dictate. Gift them with the discernment to find rest in your presence, to seek your will above their own, and to love others extravagantly every chance they get.

May the children you entrusted to us make a profound impact on this world in ways we cannot possibly imagine now. And may we continue to be mothers who care deeply, who live courageously, who encourage continually, and who strive to love you with all of our heart.

Elizabeth A. Mitchell