Faith Filled Family Magazine July 2016 | Page 16

By far one of my favorite verses about what a good friendship looks like is in Ecclesiastes 4:910. “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.” The next step would be to commit our children’s friendships to prayer. God honors the prayers of the righteous. By bringing the request of good, Godly relationships before Him, we submit that area to His will and give Him space to move. I know that as an adult new Christian I continually prayed for women to come in to my life that could help me to grow in my faith. God abundantly answered that prayer for me, and I trust Him to do the same for my children. Finally, I believe that we should also pray for our children to have wisdom and discernment regarding their peers and for God to hedge them about with protection from negative influences. Kids just want to have friends, to feel loved, and to belong. It is what we all want. Praying that our children will have discerning and wise hearts could help them to see with whom they should be associating. Praying for protection may shield them from those things that could harm them. There is no fool proof plan to helping our children find good and Godly friendships, just as there isn’t a fool proof guide to any part of parenting. We do the best we can to teach our children who God is, what He values, what breaks His heart, and what He tells us is best for us as His children. We pray continually for God to put a hedge of protection around our children and to guard them from anything that is going to hinder their relationship with Him. We claim God’s promises and have faith that He is in control over this and everything else. My oldest child is just entering the teen years. His little bubble is expanding and he’s making new friends all of the time. It is a little scary to watch our children form relationships outside of the safety and security of family. There is a certain element of control that we lose when we can’t shelter them from everyone and everything. However, mamas and daddies, our Heavenly Father loves our children more than we can imagine. We must do our part to be involved, to teach them, and to pray for them, but we also must trust that God has got them firmly in the palm of His hand. Love and Blessings, Bobbie Bobbie Schaeperkoetter is a wife and a homeschooling mama of two boys who is just doing her best to honor Him in the craziness of life. She is also a writer and blogger at www.bobbieschae. com and www.facebook.com/bobbieschae. She would love for you to stop by and say hello!