Last month, on Valentine’s Day, my husband and I woke up with our sweet little almost-one-year-old son snuggled between us in our bed. He had been invited in sometime in the very early morning, a little set of sleepy blue eyes blinking awake.
“It’s Valentine’s Day,” Adam quietly reminded me.
It was a cold, clear morning here in Kansas, and Adam began his morning routine. As sun streamed in through the window, I paused just a moment to snuggle that little body a little closer and breathe in over his strawberry blond hair.
“I will gladly be your Valentine for as long as you need me to.”
Even though my son is little, I find myself thinking about her already: his future Valentine. My so-called nemesis. The woman who, decades from now, will win his heart. And, in doing so, will take him away from me. His mother. His mommy.
Will she exist? My heart says yes. How do I know? I don’t.
But boy, do I ever pray for her, that little girl somewhere in the world. A parallel little life that might someday change ours.
I wonder if she was rocked to sleep last night.
I wonder if she loves whales and roosters and fish and doggies as much as my boy.
I wonder if someone reads with her every day. I wonder if she asked to read The Bunny Rabbit Show book eight hundred times this week like my boy.
I don’t know the future. I don’t know about my son’s someday preferences, his life choices. That doesn’t stop me or even give me pause.
Because, someday my son might not need his mom to be his Valentine anymore.
And I want his someday girl to be as close to God’s heart as possible.
So, I bring God’s ear low, and I pray for her. In Jesus Christ’s name, I pray to a loving God who holds the future and still listens.
And this is how I pray.
1. I pray that she is healthy and strong.
I pray for her development, her coordination, her learning, her nourishment.
2. I pray for her parents.
I pray for wisdom in parenting. I pray for their marriage and that they will love each other deeply. I pray that they will model love and loyalty to their little girl.
