Prayers for Parents

Some of the children I love are now having children of their own. As I watch them struggle at the intersection of complete exhaustion and fierce devotion, I often wish I could do more to help. 

No amount of intervention or preparation can fully ease the challenge of those sleepless nights. It’s a rite of passage all parents face in the middle of the night. Their own needs are sacrificed for the needs of their children.

When running on little or no sleep, the only fuel that keeps parents going is pure love and a prayer.

A wise woman once told me about a group of cloistered nuns devoted to prayers for parents.

Every night at midnight, the Norbertine Sisters awake to pray intentionally for the mothers who are exhausted by the nighttime care and feeding of their children.

While parents are awake caring for their children, someone else is awake caring for them through prayer.

I like this plan. I’ve always believed in the power of intentional love, kind thoughts, and powerful prayer. And now more than ever, I sure do hope it helps! 

Here are my prayers for parents:

When I can’t be there to rock your baby to sleep, I’ll be praying for you. 

I’ll be loving you as you love your tiny ones.

I’ll be loving you as you give everything for the little souls who depend on you for everything.

I’ll be loving you as you push past physical and emotional exhaustion to nurture, feed, comfort, and care for the children you love.

I’ll be loving you as you find the strength to face the challenges of the night after you’ve been drained by the demands of the day.

I’ll be loving you as you learn that some of the most rewarding things in life come wrapped in a surprising amount of sacrifice and pain. 

I’ll be loving you as you stretch and expand your already extraordinary capacity to love. 

And, I’ll be loving you as you discover this sleepless season will pass.

One day, your sweet baby who is waking you up every 90 minutes will become a teenager sleeping until noon. Until then, I’ll be praying for you and all the parents who need more sleep.