Fighting The Not-So-Silent Battle In My Child's Head

Fighting the Not-So-Silent Battle In My Child’s Head

By Kelly Basham

Frombudtobloom.com

Something wasn’t right. For the second night in a row my son had gotten out of his bed to tell us he couldn’t sleep. This was so unlike him. My first instinct was to think that he was getting sick.  But when I noticed the way he pressed his hand against his chest, I knew there was more going on.

It was the weekend. My son should have been enjoying his time off from school, but he wasn’t. His mind was fixated on the test he had just taken. He was stressing over whether he had studied enough. He was panicking over each question, wondering if he had answered them correctly. He was worried he had messed up and failed.

There was a battle going on in my son’s head. It was no wonder he couldn’t sleep. He was miserable. It was hard to watch him suffer. I desperately wanted to find a way to fix it. At one point, I considered calling his teacher to see if I could get his grade early. Thankfully I came to my senses. Doing that would only make matters worse and teach my son nothing. The best way I could help him was to put a powerful weapon in his hand that he could use to battle his anxious thoughts.

That weapon is the Word of God.

Hebrews 4:12 tells us that his word is like a two-edged sword. It’s powerful enough to silence any fear or worry our children endure.

Philippians 4:8 encourages us to think about things that are true and praise worthy. We can teach our children to battle their fears and worries by guiding them to take those negative thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) and replace them with the positive truths from God’s word.

To help my son do this, I started printing out bible verses and putting them up on the refrigerator. Every time he became worried or fearful, I would take him by the hand and lead him to fridge. Together we would read the words aloud, pray, and talk about the powerful truth they held. It always made him feel better and gave him a sense of peace (Philippians 4:6-7).

Now that my son is a little older, we no longer stand in front of the fridge quite as much. He still battles with those fearful, worrisome thoughts, but now he knows what to do. When fear and worry start creeping in, he gets in his bible and replaces those thoughts with truth from God’s word.

Moms, we may not be able to prevent our children from experiencing fear and worry, but we can pray for them, and equip them with the tools they need to do battle.    

Now #MomArmy15, let’s pray like our kid’s lives depend on it! You may use the scripture prayer below and insert your child’s name when you see a blank. Or feel free to use other scriptures God has placed on your heart. We would love it if you typed at least one sentence of your prayer in the comments section or left a comment that shares your heart with us. We love you!

Lord, your word tells us to cast all of our worries, fears, and anxieties on you (1 Peter 5:7). Your word is alive and active. Sharper than a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). A mighty weapon for battle. I thank you that your word is powerful enough to silence our fears and worries. I pray ________ will take comfort in knowing that they are never alone. I pray they will see there is nothing to fear and know you are always right there beside them (Isaiah 41:10).  May ________ find peace in the safety of your sweet presence (Psalm 4:8).  I pray ________ learns to run to you in times of trouble (Romans 10:13) and seeks your strength to endure whatever may come his/her way (Philippians 4:13). I pray ________ will to learn take every thought captive (Philippians 4:8) and replace his/her negative, fearful, worrisome thoughts with positive truths from your word (2 Corinthians 10:5).  I thank you in advance for the mighty work you are going to do in ________ life (Philippians 1:6).

Lord, I also pray you will give me the strength (Philippians 4:13) to be the mom you have called me to be for ________. I pray for wisdom and discernment to train ________ up in the way he/she should go (Proverbs 22:6). Help me to be patient with ________ as I guide him/her to battle their fears and worries with the truth in your word. May I be a guiding light in ________ life that points him/her to you (Matthew 5:16). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!  

This post is part of a blog series hosted by Anna Frye, founder of Chosen And Crowned Ministries. Anna's heart, along with the 12 other mom writers in this series, is to raise up a growing army of moms (#MomArmy15) who Pray Like Their Kids Lives Depend On It. This series runs from Sept. 7-Oct. 2. Join the Mom Army and invite your friends at www.ChosenAndCrowned.com/blog.