I noticed something different as soon as Andrew walked in the door. One evening, not so long ago, my 16-year old came home from working-out at the Y and told me a custodian had stopped him in the hallway and said he “looked like a champion” after working out. Andrew said he felt like giving the guy a hug because it made him feel good someone noticed his hard work lifting weights. Then he felt kind of awkard so he just told him “thanks” and kept walking.
But, when he got to the exit door, Andrew decided to drop his bag and run back to thank the guy for encouraging him.
The next morning as we were heading out the door for school, Andrew was still thinking about what had happened. He said he was tired of thinking about himself all the time and he’d decided any time he gets a sense in his heart that he needs to encourage someone, he’s going to follow through.
I did everything I could to hold back the tears. And with his permission I want to share why.
We have been on a hard part of Andrew’s journey this past year. A journey filled with doubts and hard questions about God, compounded by frustration and uncertainties about his purpose in life.
A journey that has broken my heart and brought me to my knees.
And while praying for my son, I’ve heard wisdom that could only come from his Heavenly Father.
- Wisdom told me not to react, but to listen closely as Andrew vented words that were hard to hear.
- Wisdom told me to keep my mouth shut, and let my actions speak louder than my emotions.
- Wisdom helped me breathe deep and look for ways to affirm unique gifts I’d seen in Andrew that he could no longer see in himself.
I have admired Andrew’s natural tendency to notice and encourage others for years. But it had disappeared. So, I’d been praying 1 Thessalonians 5:11 for him, asking Jesus to help this boy I love remember what brings him joy and purpose.
And God had answered, using the kindness of a stranger to stir up that life-giving gift in my son. That day, a ray of hope broke through the clouds. And each day it gets a little brighter as I stay on my knees and in God’s word on my son’s behalf.
Parenting is hard. It can leave a mama feeling worn out and weary from the battle for the hearts of her children.
If that is you, please keep reading and enter today’s special giveaway. I’m excited to introduce you to my new friend, Brooke McGlothlin. Brooke knows what it’s like to want to wave the white flag and give up the fight but she also knows God has called mothers to get in the battle. So how do we do that in the most effective way? By coming alongside them in prayer.
Brooke just released a new book, Praying for Boys: Asking God for the Things They Need Most, And I love it! So I’m giving away a copy today!
From fun boy mom humor, to insightful biblical wisdom, Brooke helps mothers of boys discover their value and power as praying moms. In Praying for Boys Brooke teaches us to discover delight in the chaos of raising boys, and helps us have more peace in our hearts and homes. {Disclaimer: If you have a daughter, don’t worry I’ve got another friend whose written a book for you and I’ll be giving away one soon!}
But if you are a mom of boys, I want to tell you a little more because this book is a praying-boy-mom’s treasure chest!
Praying for Boys will:
- Help you stop hovering, and start covering.
- Give you permission to wave the white flag, while empowering you with the tools you need to keep going.
- Help you recognize your value and power as a praying mom.
- Overcome feelings of failure, and walk in confidence as a mom.
My favorite part is that Brooke includes over 200 topically-organized, Scripture-based prayer prompts for 21 areas in which boys struggle the most.
Brooke McGlothlin is Co-founder of Raising Boys Ministries, where moms and dads come to discover delight in the chaos of raising boys. You can find her writing about fighting for the hearts of her sons at the MOB Society blog. Brooke is also a homeschooling mom to her two boys and happily married to the man she’s had a crush on since the third grade.
ENTER TO WIN: Click “Share Your Thoughts” below this post and tell me about the boys you pray for.
I’ll choose a winner Sunday night, and announce it on my blog Monday, along with the 5 winners that will be picked from Wednesday’s Giveaway.
My husband and I have two wonderful boys – a 22 year old and a 16 year old. I pray for special care and godly and moral direction for them daily. Although our 16 year old has been homeschooled his entire life in our Christian home with a social life of mostly extended family members, a day will come soon when I must turn him loose completely to the world. I pray that with all the newness of that “freedom”, he will remember everything we have taught him about prayer and living for God and about being a leading example with those tools instead of letting others lead him where he should not go. Scripture to aid us through this transaction would be wonderful to have. Thank you for this offer.
I pray for my husband and my son, who’s 4. He has some issues that make him a little different so I pray that he and I will learn to deal with them the best that we can. It can be difficult with him because he is hard to work with at times, but I just pray for him the best I can
Hi Reene thks so much for your so timing post sahring your heart about praying for your son.
I have a 14 year old son who has been expouse to sex videos about a year ago and when I found out it just broke my heart. I can begin to explain the pain I felt since I know God’s plan for my son are amazing. He’s still battleling and struggling with thoughts the enemy likes to throw at him, so I do pray and fast for my son to be set free. I know Jesus has set us free but we need to believe it and walk in that freedom, so I pray my son will believe that he’s set free by the power of the cross that Jesus is enough. That he doesn’t need to feel trap in any thought or behavior that is not pleasing to God for he’s a child of God bought to freedom.
The other night my son came to my crying since the enemy has been harassing him and I just prayed over him and for him. I do love and thk God that my son has that open heart and mouth to trust me, so please pray for also for me so as I seek God He will give me the wisdom to share His word and His heart with my son.
Thank you so much! Thks for your book A Confiden Heart and your life- a precious testimony of being an aver comer by the power of Jesus!
I am so grateful for the oppurtunity to pray for my sons who are 16 and 15. They lost their dad 3 1/2 years ago by suicide. Their feelings of grief and abandonment have been very hard to break through. Lets face it, boys do not talk and share freely. Trying to listen and not speak and learning to be the disciplinarian has been a challange for me. As a mom, we want to encourage and love our children. Take away all their pain, not enforce rules and boundaries. It’s been an incredible time of learning and growth for all of us. I am blessed by God for the wonderful people that he has so graciously sent our way to help. I would love to have the opportunity to read Brooke’s new book and learn more about the power of prayer. Thank you Renee for all you do to encourage woman!
I am a Mom to 4 fantastic sons 26, 21, 17 & 14. It has brought me some of the most joy I have ever felt, and some of the most pain. But I am SO blessed and thankful to be the mother of sons. My oldest son is having his first child this Summer and it is a girl! What am I going to do?!
My son is 15, the youngest of three. (older two are girls) I worry about my son sometimes because my husband’s job requires him to travel alot, usually for a week at a time. with weekends at home. My son struggles with being the “man of the house” when his dad is gone, as well as being the only male in the house. He is still a teenage boy who needs to enjoy this time in his life, focus on school, church and friends. I worry that he gets overwhelmed. I do not want him to feel pressured into growing up too soon, and then start rebelling. I would love to have the book as a resource and guide on how to pray more effectively for my son and his needs, his faith, his future, as well as praying for my husband when he is away from home, and the need for him to be a spiritual leader and an active, positive influence for our son when he is here.
My son is 15 and light years beyond most of his friends in maturity! Some days I wonder aloud about the whereabouts of my precious first born?? I do catch a glimpse of the young boy that was so loving and sweet. I keep telling myself it is his age, but all too often I walk away from encounters with him ( cant quite call them conversations:) ) feeling lost and hurt:((. Some days I don’t even know what to pray for???
This book sounds really wonderful to me. I look forward to reading it. I have 3 boys, one is 23 and married, he has all kinds of things on his plate, but the one that stands out right now is he and a friend are opening up a store at the beginning of March, one is 21 and has done through all kinds of struggles, from being a dad at 16, giving that child up(very difficult decision), getting into drugs, struggling to hold down a job(but doing well in this area now), and he now has a house and is renovating and struggling financially, and my youngest son is 17, goes to youth, bible study and helps teach Sunday School, he is graduating this year, he also plays drums in a Christian band. So as you can clearly see, I have a lot to pray for and any help I can get, is much appreciated.
Helen
My son, 10, is autistic. He blends in and by all accounts is very typical. HOWEVER, he has obsessive thoughts and doesn’t always understand things the way we do. Because of that, I am particularly worried about the “teen” years and all the social pressures of relationships, intimacy, etc. I worry about that for him for marriage too. He has an insane sense of right and wrong, but often not until after that fact and learns the why. I can’t expose him to everything at once to give him every life lesson he will need to navigate this but at the same time, I think about it often praying his eyes and heart will be protected.
Renee, our son has been struggling all his life, never feeling like he was good enough, and never wanting to do the work to make himself feel successful. Now he has a brain injury from an work accident, he has become angry, bitter, confused and spilling downward. He breaks my heart daily from the angry, and the way he now chooses his life, of girls, sex and drinking, WE are now paying him not to drink, and so far it has been working for 8 weeks. He is a bright, smart young man, who if he worked hard could have an amazing life. How do we make him want that? Need prayers to continue just to listen and not react, to be the pray warrior for him and help him want the good life that God has promised.
I have two sons. Almost 13 and 11. We are a military family and preparing to move again in 3 months. The boys basically love each other, they share a room, but there is a lot of fighting and wrestling and trying to establish power. I, of course, and a hover and do -it-all kind of mom. I need to let go – let them grow into the amazing boys/men they are going to be but I would love to be covering them in prayer so that I can rest in that fact. Love the story you shared about your son.
Moving is hard. Have two boys is hard. Being a parent is hard. But I love it – I just want to be better at it.
I pray for my 2 sons-24yr old searching for the path God has chosen for him and my 14yr-the temptations that are waved in front of and him ,that he will be strong to resist those and remember that he is a child of God. Also I pray a future son-in-law
Renee, thank you so very much for sharing your son’s story! I truly needed to hear those words & am committing to praying 1 Thessalonians 5:11 for my 15 yr old daughter. We too have been travelling down a rough road with her this school year and sometimes I look at her and want to check for a zipper – to see if someone is wearing a costume to make them look like my daughter, because the words & actions do not match who we have always known her to be. Thank you for your words they are a blessing from God to remind me that there is hope and to keep pressing on. Blessings to you, Jody
I recently married a man with a son. I have a daughter so I have a hard time understanding what boys go through. I believe this book will help me know how to pray God’s word for Nathan as he finds his way in this world.
Renee, I am so excited you shared this book! I can’t wait to read it. Always looking for more truths and promises to pray over my sweet boy.
Love you,
Wendy
This could not be more timely. Driving my son to school this morning, he confided in me that he was struggling with a difficult decision. After dropping him off , I said a quick prayer at the next stoplight on his behalf. Raising a boy is a blessing but can sometimes be a challenge.
I pray for my sons and my husband and I could really use the guidance of this book! Thanks for posting information about it. Looks like a great resource.
This book is a reminder I need to pray for my son too. I realize I’ve been putting all my energy and prayer into my older girls. I think it is because I fear they will have to go through the same things I have and I don’t really know that much about boys.
I have 2 sons. They are 31 and 27. As parents we can never pray enough for our children. From finding the perfect mate to making the right choices. We still pray for them and the struggles they face as adults. It makes a Moms heart warm when you see rhe fruits of those prayers being answered. Boys are wonderful and I always knew God wanted me to be a Mom of boys. Since I never had girls he sent me a beautiful granddaughter and 2 precious daughter in laws. I tell my daughter in laws all the time that we have been praying for you for many years and we did not even know your name. We planted seeds when they were young and God has blessed us to see the fruits of those prayers! I continue to pray!
Thanks for the encouragement to pray better! My boy at home is 21, my other “boys” are my Marine son, two sons-in-law, one darling grandson and even my hubby and brother. Thanks to the LORD for your servant’s heart to encourage us through Proverbs31 ministry. We appreciate you and all our sistahs in the LORD! Have a delightful day in Jesus!
I am the only “woman” in our family – 2 sons (ages 21 and 24) and my dear husband. There have been MANY challenges – sometimes I feel like waving the white flag! And, to stop hovering but cover them in prayer is a challenge to me. I feel that I should have/could have been a better mom. I love them and I know God loves them even more. This book sounds wonderful!
Pray for my daughter as she raises her wonderful, precious, 3 yr old son Rylee and for Rylee to grow and become what God has planned for his life. Pray Rylee will know Jesus as his Savior and trust Him. Pray for God’s protection, grace, mercy, love and guidance over Rylee. Prayers of thanksgiving for blessing us with Rylee and the joy and love he brings through him. How wonderful to be Nana and experience God’s love and presence in this way. As a mother, you feel love in a new dimension and it is indescribable. As a grandmother, it is again brand new and another revelation of God’s glory. Oh how our Heavenly Father loves us SO much more, so much better with such deeper understanding than we can even imagine; but he gives us a glimpse of the magnitude, through our children and grandchildren. Praise God for all these blessings and may Proverbs 22:6 be evident in Rylee’s life.
Raising boys is hard because the way society has tried to form their minds on earthly things
Instead of Godly things. They want them to be selfish an self centered. But tne Bible days train a chil in the wAy they should go an tney will not depart from it. Our boys need our prayers .
Oh my where do I start, I have the brady bunch!~ My husband and I have 3 boys and 3 girls ~ we are a blended family with many blessings and challenges. Our two peas in a pod boys seem to be the ones struggling the most at the moment but all have had their struggles. Yes, one is my biological and one is his. We have had the prodigal child syndrome a couple of times too! but these last two do need a lot of prayer! Thank you for your site and God inspired words of hope and love. God always knows when I need them most@!
I struggle with my boy at times I feel so unrelatable to him and not something I like feeling. He struggles with listening and doing things before the thinks. This book may be an answer to prayer.
I love this post! I continually pray for my 16 month old son, Evan. Since my husband and I found out we were pregnant, I have prayed for God to protect him and for his salvation. Every night, we say our prayers and I pray for a hedge of protection around him, for Evan to have an open heart toward God and for him to be kind to others. I pray that he will accept Christ in his life and become the man God wants him to be.
I know the book will definitely be useful as Evan grows and encounters different stages in life!
Thanks for sharing. I subscribed to the blog 🙂
I pray for my two grandsons and their wonderful parents. As I watch these sweet boys, ages 3 and 5 months, I am sometimes at a loss as to what to pray. I am grateful for the promise of the Spirit who intercedes for us. This is a battle not to be lost.
Thank you for your blog that encourages and inspires.
That was beautiful. As a parent and a mother, we do spend many hours on our knees. Always keeping you and your family in our prayers.
I have 5 boys 13, 12, 10, 8, & 5. The 13 yo doctors say he ADHD and my 12 yo the Dr’s say he’s ADHD & pediatr bipolar. Sometimes I find myself praying for those two more than the three youngest. My 12 yo have been to numerous mental hospitald & ive been back and forth to school plenty of times. There were days that i just wanted to just give & questioning God why. This book would be great resource for me to pray for all my boys because since my walk w God has been better i know there’s no better word than our Heavenly Father. Thanks for having this giveaway!
Praying for my boys j who is 16, and n who is 13, who came to know The Lord before 3. I pray that my Jesus will become their Jesus, and that they will want to live for him!
I am the mother if 3 growing, beautiful boys. Jack is
14 and trying to navigate through high school, Justin who will turn 13 this spring (in the midst of middle school and finding his way)and James who is 10 and struggles with controlling his emotions, especially being the youngest brother.
My sons are similar, yet different in so many ways…I don’t know I could handle mothering without having God to turn to.
Thank you for your story and for sharing about this book!
I pray for my 2 sons continually. My youngest son who joined the Air Force 2 years ago. Happily married one minute and the next she says I want a divorce, I don’t love you! My son is devastated ! My heart is broken for my son and selfishly for myself! I loved and still do love her and pray for her (she does not believe in God or Jesus) my son thought he could lead her to Christ and she would be saved! He feels he let her down and worries about her salvation! He is alone at Eglin Air Force Base with no family and no friends and oh how I want to be by his side! My heart breaks for him! Son number 1…..where do I begin? He has been in trouble since as far back as I remember. He loves his momma this I know!!! He is 33 and recently started going to church! Praise God!!! Been praying for years for my son to find Jesus! I know the only reason he goes is to appease me! I have to believe Jesus will crack his heart open and he will truly hear the word! I find my faith dwindling at times and need so much to STAY IN THE WORD, which can be very challenging at times!!! I thank you for sharing your life stories and struggles! God Bless!
My son is 10 right now. He focuses on himself and his winning abilities all the time. I often tell him to think of others before himself. There are those sweet precious times when he says or does something that brings tears to my eyes. I would love the chance to read this book and look at who he is and my role in that. Prayeris something I struggle with – I know it’s importance, yet don’t give it the attention it needs/deserves. Thanks for sharing!
The book sounds fantastic. I have a son who has a mild from of aspergers and I worry about him and his future. In addition his father is not a positive roll model for him. I’m constantly praying for him and his future. Thanks for sharing today!
A good reminder to pray daily instead of expressing anger and disappointment. Humbling myself today to look at my boys through God’s eyes instead of my own. Back to prayer as a priority for everyone I know in need of prayer.
I have a 20 year old son that has struggle since my ex-husband and I divorced. There are a lot of negative people in his life. This past summer he contemplated suicide. He is not happy in his life and work. I work at our local church as the secretary so I have our church ladies praying for him. I am trying to talk him into moving to Texas to be with my brother and sister in law. I have two other boys 16 and 6 and am a single mom.
I have a wonderful 10 year old son, whom I look forward to getting this book for! As a single mom, it is very hard to sit back sometimes and see my son wishing for a dad like everyone else has. One day at baseball practice, Caleb was having trouble hitting the ball, and one of the other kids shouted “you cant hit the ball, because you dont have a dad.”! I keep reminding him about his great Heavenly Father,and how He is all we need. I am so glad somebody finally wrote this book!
I have a grown son but 4 grandboys under the age of 6 by my son. . I was a young mom and still pray for my son. My son was grown before I had the wisdom to breathe deep and truly point him toward God. He is a father now and I want him to raise his boys so much better than I ever did. My prayers are with him, his wife and my grandsons. May God use each and everyone for His glory.
Thank you for all you share.
My 24-year-old son has blessed me with my first grandchild (son). Praying, praying, praying for this new generation. This book would be a great blessing to my daughter-in-law.
I pray for my son Benjamin, who just turned 12 years old this week…
I have two teenage sons! This story has encouraged me to start being more confident, secure and exact in praying for my wonderful boys! The oldest is a man of God! He is a young life leader to a group of young men from a high school and does a fabulous job. However, at home I he is not that young life leader! I have often prayed and even begged God to teach him that his natural family needs him and his words. Especially his younger brother and sister!!! Oh I am praying hard for the opportunity to be able to receive a copy of this book to read. To be able to pray for my oldest and to be able to help him understand! What a fabulous and inspiring story ….THANK YOU RENEE.
This post gave me such hope! Not because your son had that revelation but because it shows me I am not alone in this fight for my son! I’m sad that I didn’t have these tools to be enlightened early on in my sons life but even though he’s 20 now, he’s still my boy and I still have that power of prayer and loving him that will linger on even when I am gone!
Thank you for the confirmation, thank you for allowing GOD to bring that breath of fresh air to the moms who are blessed with such special children such as boys!! Thank you!!
Although my son is not out of the woods yet, and doesn’t seem to want to be free of them, I know that GOD’s plans will prevail and he will break forth soon!!
Thanks for the resources on praying for our sons. My son has been struggling some in school and we started praying together each morning. He even reminds me now if I forget to pray with him before school. It is really teaching him the power of prayer!
There are several “boys” I pray for – my husband (yes, still a “boy” at heart!), my son, my son-in-law, my grandson and my future grandson. I like to have focused prayers for all of them!
Thank you so much for this lesson today!!! It was just what I was aching for. My son is a beautiful and kind young man who has always been strong in his faith and walk for God. He is a junior in high school this year and it’s a tough one! The peer pressure is unbearable at times and although he remains strong, I can see the struggle. I see his battle to remain faithful and feel his pain. Pressures from athletics to perform, pressure to make his grades and still have time for his friends and Church activities and then the girls…it’s all taking a tole on him and he needs reassurance and encouragement but sometimes I really do want to wave the white flag!! The book sounds like a lifesaver! Beautiful post Renee, thank you!!
I LOVE being the mom of boys but sometimes I feel like I am at war with the enemy fighting for their souls! I would love to read Brooke’s book to be encouraged and to know that I am not alone in this battle. I love the habit of praying scripture over our guys. With 2 teenagers I feel like we sometimes we are all speaking a different language and need God to be the interpreter.
Thanks for having this giveaway.
The boys I pray for are my 23 year old son, my son-in-law, my grandson, and the future husbands of my daughters.
It would have to be my son Daniel who is 13 years old. We have, it seems like, a war around here. I am not sure of my boundaries with him. He came to me one afternoon and said,”mom, someone is yelling at me.” I was completely surprised and wanted to know who it was. It was me. When he was young I would yell. I was just like my dad who was an exploder. I exploded at every thing. I also knew that I had a lot of verbal abuse when I was growing up. I have begun counseling for this issue of the verbal abuse and learning how to take those small steps that only God can provide. I would love to win this book just so it can give me wisdom to know how to pray for Daniel in such a way that we can begin the healing process of our relationship. Thanks for offering.
I was so touched by this. I have a 14 year old son that I worry about so much. Reading this really hit home. I need to pray for my son just as you did. I know that he struggles with figuring out who he is and what his purpose is. I also struggle with mothering too much and when to let go and let him figure it out on his own. Would love to have this book. It would be a great help!
This book sounds wonderful. I have two sons one 16 and the other 14. My 14 year old is at war with his father. They just keep on bumping heads at every turn. And he now sometimes starts with his older brother. My older son I worry about him finding his way in life. They have both stop going to church and I feel that they don’t have God like they should. This book would really help me learn to pray for them. Bless you for sharing this with us.