Take Time to Pause…
When you’re angry, pause.
When you’re tired, pause.
When you’re out of patience, pause.
When you pause, PRAY.
I once went to visit a friend. Although the morning was nearly done, she was still in her pajamas pouring over a computer screen, hair in a messy bun, eyes squinting through glasses, brow furrowed. Upon questioning I learned that their teenage daughter had been having some major behavioral issues and my friend was at her breaking point. In desperation, she had been searching the internet for answers and suggestions all morning.
At the time I had no teenagers of my own and had absolutely zero suggestions, but after listening for awhile, a thought came to mind.
“Have you been praying about this?” I quietly asked, staring at the hands in my lap and knowing full well the question was from God, not from me.
My friend stopped typing and turned toward me. The answer was written all over her face, and we both knew where she needed to go for direction.
Even with an education including classes in child development and psychology and decades of hands-on child training experience, to this day when young mothers come to me with questions I tell them I don’t really know anything. But I whole-heartedly believe that we can be connected to One who knows everything.
If God is really our Father, which He is, and if He really put us on this earth to succeed gloriously, which He did, and if the children in our homes are really His children, which they are, why on earth would He NOT hear and answer a parent’s pleas for direction and help? He doesn’t want us to mess up His children any more than we want to permanently cause them psychological, mental, or emotional damage.
I can testify that God hears and answers the prayers of mothers and fathers who are trying to teach their children.
Laugh if you must, but when I was in the trenches of toilet training toddler number nine, He was right there with me, giving ideas and insights about how this child was totally different from our previous eight toilet training experiences.
He has prompted me when to speak, when to be quiet, when to ask questions, when to check devices, when to seek out the child I haven’t seen in hours, when to ask for more details about tonight’s teen party, and when to text a link to a scripture or article that will speak to a high school senior when they won’t listen to me.
God hears and answers prayers and fills in the gaps when you are doing all that you can to turn his precious children back to Him.
“Learn to pray. Pray often. Pray in your mind, in your heart. Pray on your knees. Prayer is your personal key to heaven. The lock is on your side of the veil. And I have learned to conclude all my prayers with “Thy will be done” (Matthew 6:10; see also Luke 11:2; 3 Nephi 13:10).” (Boyd K. Packer, October 2009 General Conference address of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
