I hope you were able to join us Monday for the first Back to School Boost Bible Study. Today I’m welcoming a dear friend, Sandra Sheridan, as a guest writer. She is the “Mama” in her beloved Midwestern blog and newspaper column Verses From Mama. I love Sandy’s heart for prayer, and I’m so glad to share her voice with you today as a beautiful example of giving our children what they need most – the power of our prayers. Meet my friend Sandra Sheridan!
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
I made the decision to do it early on. I can be a bit of a control freak when it comes to my children – you know, the Mama Bear who is constantly watching and jumping in to divert any disaster, real or imagined. But there are just some things you can’t or shouldn’t control. There are some things that are better left for the Lord to decide.
So when my children were in elementary school I made a specific decision to give up some control and to trust God to assign each of them to the teacher He wanted for them. Instead of making requests of the school or trying to manipulate what I thought would be the best choice, I chose to stay aloof from each teacher assignment. Throughout the summer months I prayed for whomever God would select and asked that this teacher would be uniquely gifted to help my particular child during that school year. I fought the urge to worry and instead chose to rely completely on the wisdom of the heavenly Father Who loved my children more than I did.
Our faith tested
Most years there was no problem and I felt comfortable with each teacher assignment. But one year there was a crisis and my faith was put to the test.
One of our sons was entering first grade. This is the year during which most children learn to read and we were excited for him to learn this all-important life skill. But almost immediately I realized we were in for some difficulty. The young, newly hired teacher taught reading using a newer, non-traditional method and our son was having a hard time learning.
I expressed my concerns to the teacher but didn’t get much encouragement. So I tried to give him extra tutoring after school, but he was too tired after sitting in class all day and couldn’t concentrate. At this point I started to doubt my commitment to relying on prayer and trusting God’s choice in this area. Maybe this was a time when I should step in and ask for a new class assignment. After all, his experience in first grade and his ability to read would affect his self-esteem, success, and enthusiasm for learning in future years. But I decided to hold tight and continued to pray.
Our prayers answered
In the middle of October, my son’s teacher gave birth and left for her six-week maternity leave. I immediately made an appointment with the long-term substitute teacher and explained the problem. She assured me that she would work individually with my son and that she would teach him using our mutually preferred method. Within a couple of weeks our son had caught on and was reading whole books. I was ecstatic and so thankful! Surprise! God had come through in answer to my prayers.
In the end, the first teacher did not return to the classroom. Instead, the substitute teacher stayed on for the whole year, and subsequently our school hired her as a full-time Title I reading teacher. I never forgot this lesson. By trusting God and not responding according to my own understanding my son received the best reading teacher he could have.
Giving up control in prayer
It’s hard to give up control, especially when it comes to our children. But this Mama Bear learned an unforgettable lesson that has carried forward into my children’s adult years. There is no one who loves my kids more than their heavenly Father, and He has committed to finishing what He has started in their lives.
Yes, I will still give my two-cents once in a while, but I don’t need to micromanage everything. My best course of action is to pray, to trust, and to acknowledge God’s ways. After all, He is all-wise, all-powerful . . . and He has everything under His control.
About Sandra
Sandra Sheridan is a lifelong student of the Bible and is convinced of the wisdom of the Scriptures and the importance of its application in daily life.
Sandra and her husband, Bart, are the parents of five children ranging from high school to adult. Recognizing that communication with her children was becoming more difficult as they grew older, she began writing them a daily inspirational e-mail. This was the genesis of her blog, “Verses from Mama,” where she shares encouraging letters to her children and any others who long for a Mama’s touch. She is published in three local newspapers and in FarmWorld, one of the country’s largest agriculture-related newspapers. Visit her at www.VersesFromMama.com.
