This year, I committed to pray for and be a positive encouragement to an elementary student I do not know and may never meet. Today, I received the sweetest letter from my student. She and I share a birthday month, a favorite color, and the joy of reading. Maybe one day I’ll get to meet this sweet girl face-to-face but if not, I know my heavenly Father sees her, so I’ll continue to pray a hedge of protection around her heart and mind in the name Jesus. I’ll continue to encourage her throughout the year by challenging her to learn well, be respectful to those in authority over her and to her peers, have a grateful heart without an attitude of entitlement, obey her parents, rise above the norm and not listen to the naysayers who want to pull her down, and encourage her to respect herself enough to know she was created by a loving God who has great things in store for her future.
What a privilege we have in prayer, and opportunities abound to be a blessing and encouragement to our younger generation. I’ve heard too many who don’t like where our young people are headed. I have to ask myself and others this question, “What are we doing to be part of the solution and not part of the majority who simply want to shake their head and complain?” Like it or not, my responsibility does not end simply because my children are adults and my nest is currently empty. I choose to continue to be a positive and encouraging influence in the lives of those young people who soon will be mothers, fathers, teachers, employers, mayors, heads of state, government officials, and leaders of our country in a few, short years.
Abundant Heart 