For this child I prayed

I was initially drawn to this verse because of my own long and petition-filled journey to motherhood. When God answered my prayers, I was left in awe of the depth of love, gratitude, and responsibility I felt for the beautiful baby boy he had given me. I was also terrified that something would happen to him. Babies look so fragile, and I had never been more afraid of losing someone.

Over those first months, fear was slowly replaced by trust, as the other moms in my life circled around us and supported us, and taught me what they knew about motherhood. They cooked food, brought clothes, did laundry, babysat, and prayed for us. But most importantly to me, they shared openly about their misadventures in motherhood, and they reassured me about my own. They also shared their everyday joys, and we celebrated together in one another’s small triumphs.

Even after years of faithfully answered prayers, I still find it hard sometimes to simply entrust my child to God and not live in a place of worry. Thanks to the honesty of other moms, I know that this struggle won’t get easier – and in fact, will probably get harder – as my child grows. But I also know that God has brought us together to support one another in motherhood and in our faith. This deeper bond with the women in my life has been a wonderful and unexpected joy of motherhood – God’s answer to a prayer I didn’t even know to ask.