A Prayer For The Baby

I've been saying something like this most every day for the past nine months. The words change every time. The circumstances have certainly changed in my life since we figured out we're about to be parents, but each day's prayer is something like this:

"Our Father In Heaven, we thank you for the blessings you've given us. Just the chance to be here another day is something to be thankful for. I look forward to what experiences you'll throw my way each day.

"We especially thank you for the chance to become parents, and raise this little soul along in the world. Thank you for allowing us to grow together as a couple, and for allowing us to put together this little family, along with our friends and weird pets. We can't wait to see our baby for the first time. Let us show him at least a small part of the unconditional love that you have for us, and let him know that he is loved by you and us. Help his mother and I deepen our relationship with you as the relationship with our son grows.

"We ask that you open our hearts to your will, and let your strength and grace work through us, to help this little baby along in the world. Guide us in how to raise this little one according to your will. We're scared about being parents, and we're afraid of the cost of failure. We see as the time gets closer this is something we cannot do by ourselves: you have to do it. Just guide us in how you want it done, and open our hearts to let us figure out how you want it done. Help us to realize that it isn't about us. It's about you, and what you want for this baby and this family. We let our human nature get in the way of what you want for us.

"Lead us through this very difficult time. It's tough being unemployed with so much riding on my shoulders right now, and I know how much worse this is making things for my wife. I cannot help but feel a failure. Again, open up my heart to your will, and put me where I need to be to support this little family, keep a roof over their heads, and provide for their needs. I've tried so hard to make a better life for the family, and I keep messing it up. Every time I try, I'm seeming to make things worse. So I turn it over to you, because obviously I can't do this without you. It's in your hands now, mine alone don't seem to work too well.

"Guide the doctors and nurses as they bring our son into the world, and be with his mother through what she's about to endure. Protect her and the baby as they go through what they have to in order to bring him out into the world.

"Bless him as he grows up, and bless us with what we need to guide his way as he grows up, and walks on the path you've set before him. Let us help him to avoid the mistakes we made, if we can.

"As I come closer to being a full-fledged parent, I begin to understand a bit more about the relationship that you have with us, God, and what you want us to have with you. Much like what we want from our son, you just want us to love you as a child should its parent. The amazing thing is that your love doesn't stop, and isn't conditioned on us loving you. Just like our love for our son will be.

"Thank you, God, and we ask this in the name of Jesus."

When I feel the little guy moving and responding to my voice, it puts a lot of things in perspective. He's not even officially here yet, and he's already affected our lives in such a wonderful way.