Raising ‘Stars’!

I have coordinated a prayer ministry for almost 20 years now, and I find that a majority of prayer requests I receive (for personal prayer and to add to the prayer chain list) are for our children. And when I hear a parent’s heart as they struggle for their child or grandchild, I can empathize, sympathize, and pray with a burden for that need because I’ve been through (and am going through) many of those struggles too. I was at a bookstore the other day, and noticed that there were books galore on raising kids. It was second only to “How to get rich quick” books!! 🙂 As parents (and grandparents), we are flooded on every side with advice that covers everything from birth to married children. And so to add to all that material, here’s a little wisdom from the mother of three grown-up girls, who believes in the power of prayer.

From the time my girls were born, I’ve prayed over them – every morning and night. And one of the verses I would pray, is from Philippians 2:15 which says, “May you be… children of God without fault, in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you will shine like stars in the universe.” One morning while praying this, I realized I did not know much about stars – other than the fact that they shine at night, there are millions of them, and of course, I knew that the Bible says *God knows each one of them by name. (Isn’t that a fascinating thought?). So, I decided to research stars and found that the details went from the simple (for people like me) to the very complicated (for all you scientific-minded ones out there). And among the many websites of details, three simple facts caught my attention.

**Even though each individual star is unique, all stars share much in common. How like our children! Each child is unique, and at the same time so similar – even within the same family. I know for a fact that all three of our girls faced many of the same issues when they were around the same age, and one would think that I would’ve been a pro by daughter #3. Unfortunately not! 🙁 It took me quite awhile to realize that though their struggles were almost the same, each had to be handled according to the nature and personality of the child. And overwhelmed, I would be on my knees in prayer.   

**A star’s life is an extended battle between two opposing forces: gravity and pressure. Isn’t that exactly what our children are battling on a daily basis? At home we try to instil in them the truth of God’s Word, family values and traditions, etc., as opposed to the pressures brought into their lives by world around them. Just think about everything that is speaking into their lives, every moment of every day. Social media, the news, friends, the society we live in…the list goes on. It is always a battle for their minds, isn’t it? And that for sure, keeps me on my knees in prayer.

**Stars are formed in interstellar gas clouds. In these stellar nurseries, dense regions undergo gravitational collapse to form a rotating gas globule. As the globule collapses, the temperature and pressure increase and it spins faster. The central core becomes a star. I loved that! You see, the parenting challenges we go through might seem insurmountable at the moment, but hope lies in the fact that the outside temperature and pressure around the gas globule is not the end of the story. Yes, it keeps us on our knees in prayer, but one day, I believe the challenges and pressures will fall away and we will get to see the star. You see, I take great comfort in the Bible verses that say, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” [Proverbs 22: 6] or “And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.” [Isaiah 54: 13] (The Bible has a host of these promises.) And because I trust this Word, I will believe that through the challenges and pressures of life – our children are beautiful and unique stars in the making, for the glory of God! 🙂

*Psalm 147:4
*Accessed from:  http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/the-universe/stars-and-star-clusters