I pray this for you

And this is my prayer: I pray that your love will grow more and more. I pray that you will have better understanding and be wise in all things. I pray that you will know what is the very best. I pray that you will be true and without blame until the day Christ comes again. (Philippians 1:9-10)

I pray that your love will grow - we all need our love to grow just a little bit each day, don't we? How awesome would it be to know someone in your life was praying for your love to grow today? Well, consider this a little prayer from me to you - may your love grow! What does 'growing' love look like? I think it might take on the form of not always talking, but realizing you might just need to listen a little bit more. It could even mean you shut off the TV and just observe the environment around you, who is filling it, and what they are filling it with at this very moment. It could also look like that moment when you just realize someone needs a touch, a hug, or a kind smile to bolster their weariness over life's challenges. May your love grow in little ways today. Your love doesn't have to grow by leaps and bounds - it is the little things that mount up to bigger things!

I pray that you will have better understanding and be wise in all things - if you are like me, you can get confounded by things that come your way and almost come to a stand-still because you don't know what to do next. Over the past couple of years, my work with taking care of mom in her last days, while working full-time meant I left some of the household maintenance undone. The exterior needed painting and I couldn't do it myself. I found some painters and now it is done. The master bathroom was in desperate need of updating, fixtures and plumbing valves needed replacing, and the shower stall had to be torn out. That task seemed daunting to me - finding a contractor, getting all the materials, and then going through the demo and remodel work. It is now done and what a joy it is to have it all finished. These don't seem to be very 'spiritual' things, do they? Yet, their sheer magnitude was weighing on my mind, taxing my soul with unwanted burden. To finally take the steps to get this all done is hard, but God granted the wisdom, brought the understand on what needed to be done, helped me find the contractors, and even got me some good bargains to boot! I pray for God to bring you better understanding and wisdom in those areas of your life where things are 'weighing' upon you - removing those barriers and helping you to take steps forward that need to be taken in your life.

I pray that you will know what is the very best - not just the 'almost the best' in your life, but the VERY BEST. I think we settle for a lot that isn't the very best for us - just because we don't think we will ever find 'better'. I have two grandsons. Do I want them to find just 'any old wife' because 'any old wife' will do? Absolutely not! I want them to find the VERY BEST in life - not just in their choice of wife if they choose to marry, but in their choice of career, friendships, hobbies, etc. I am not the only grandmother who feels that way, I am sure. We grandparents are quiet protective of our offspring's offspring, aren't we? It is easy to pray for the 'very best' in another's life, but what about our own? Do we find ourselves settling for 'second best' or 'almost the best'? If so, I am praying we will break out of that mindset and begin to pursue the things God has provided as the 'VERY BEST' for us!

I pray that you will be true and without blame - a pretty strong prayer, huh? True - meaning that there won't be much need for adjustment in life - because we are pretty 'true' or 'level' in our thinking, actions, and attitudes. Without blame - because life will throw all kinds of things at us, trying to make the 'blame' stick on us. Others will want to find fault with our life decisions - even when they aren't all that perfect, it isn't their role in our lives to 'find fault'. If God points out an area where we are not 'true' or 'level', that is one thing. It isn't up to any of us to 'find fault' with the 'levelness' of another's life. We can pray for them, be good examples in their lives, and even offer them advice when it is sought. It isn't our job to constantly be getting out the 'level' to see if they are 'true'! Just sayin!