Would You Say a Prayer?

By Charla Misse

I think my favorite and most memorable NOLA Catholic Parenting blogs are those of parents writing about lessons learned from their precious children. My heart swells when a child’s value is recognized, and I am especially touched when God speaks to us through these little ones.  

Over the past year, my 10-year-old son encountered what felt like a significant challenge even for an adult. 

When initially presented to me, my mind went to work formulating possible courses of action. My son listened to my brainstorming and then simply asked if I would say a prayer – which was not on my list of possible solutions. In fact, I had not even stopped to pray before trying to solve the problem.

Praise and thanks be to God for my son! I was awestruck by his witness to the power of prayer and profoundly inspired by his strength of faith. A moment like that can change everything.   

I do try to pray before taking action or making decisions, because I want to be aligned with God’s will. When presented with this challenge, though, I jumped at the chance to fix things.  

I am so deeply grateful that my son pulled me to my senses in such a gentle and respectful way. He reminded me to be humble and trusting. And, what better solution than to surrender to God’s plan and put our future in his hands.

The Lord shepherded us through, and my son overcame the challenge with grace and strength. Thank you, Lord, for the blessings you send to us in and through our children.