Praying for Your Family - 9. Friday

Being a military kid gave me the opportunity to meet many 'friends.'  Some were the good kind, the ones you want to keep in touch with and social media helps, and some were the kind who made you cry because of their meanness, and wish you never met them.  Friends have a huge impact on our lives.  I think it is important to get to know the people my kids consider to be their friends, and to be praying for them now and in the future.  Friends have a big impact on us because they also teach us the value of forgiveness.  Some friendships can be broken and mended with a good dose of forgiveness.  Forgiveness in general though, is a really tough concept to embrace.  Jesus is a big fan of forgiveness, so it's something we should attempt to learn and live out in our lives. 

Friday- Friendships/Forgiveness:

Dear God, 

I pray my kids would be friends to each other. More than that though, help them desire to be friends with the friend-less. I don't want just the cool kids, I want the kind ones. Please help my children to look for the lonely, the outcast, the forgotten, and want to befriend them.  Lord, send them friends who will also be Godly examples, spiritually encouraging playmates who will help my kids learn the value of community. Let me model for them what real friends do.  Help their friends to forgive them even when they do not make wise choices or when they do hurtful things.  Help my children forgive their friends. Lord, please continue to send strong Godly, male friendships for my husband. Strengthen the relationships he has with men that draw him closer to you. Help me to be his best friend, his biggest cheerleader.  Help our marriage continue to have a strong foundation of friendship and enjoyment in one another's company. Help us to remember that we can be loving friends to others, because you no longer call us servant, but friend. I am a friend of God, so my friendships should glorify you. Help my husband and children be quick to forgive. 70x7 is a lot, so help us to all stop counting and start loving like you do. Help me model quick forgiveness and fresh starts. Help me to remember to ask my children for forgiveness when I am wrong. Forgive me when I fail at all of this, and help me to live as one forgiven. In Jesus' Name, 

Amen.

This is the ninth post in a series on Praying for Your Family: a 31 Day Challenge.  You can go to the main 'landing page' for a list of all the days by clicking here:

Landing Page