A Forgotten Prayer

A long time ago, when I was a young woman pregnant with my first child, I prayed a prayer over and over for the little girl I had not yet met. My prayer was that she would see, what I called, The Invisible Kingdom.

I prayed that as she grew, she would begin to see past what was right before her. That she would see the real forces at work in the world--the ones that were invisible to the eye. I nodded when I heard the then-popular slogan: "Question Reality" and I hoped she would. I prayed she'd see God acting and interacting in her life and that, though He was invisible to most, she would have the power to see Him as clear as day. I wanted her to recognize Him by His style, His attitude and His consistency. I wanted her to spot Him in the background of every scene and question what He was doing there. When other people complained about their situation and focused on the microscopic, I prayed she would have the gift of seeing the "big picture" and learn quickly that our present circumstances are nothing more than details that will pass.

I don't know how many times I prayed this prayer, but I know I prayed it all over again when I was pregnant with my son two years later.

Years went by with diapers and bottles and sleep deprivation, with some crying and lots and lots of laughter. Pretty soon, life was about school, and church and , then, college. Sometimes I'd pray the prayer, but not as often as before. Now, a lot of my time was taken up with prayers for day-to-day battles.

Just the other day, someone said something about "being invisible" and it all came back to me in a rush. How many times had I prayed that prayer--to see the invisible? And suddenly, it hit me that God had answered when I wasn't looking!

It makes me crazy when people say how great my kids are, and what a credit they are to my husband and I.

It makes me crazy because I know better.

In that great mystery of the faith, both my children walk with God because of God. God first chose them, and then let them choose Him and, somewhere in the mix , answered those prayers I prayed day after day. What and when and which and how, I really don't care. They point is that, as the Word says: "they live and breathe and have their being in Him," so much more than I could ever have imagined so long ago.

That was what I prayed for and that is what He gave me. Makes me wonder how many other things I've prayed for that I have forgotten about.

Thank you God. Happy Mother's Day to Me.