1) I pray that she'll be healthy. I know that sounds cliche and simplistic, but it's really the first desire for us to have a healthy child. My prayer is that she'll not be afflicted with much illness, pain, or discomfort.
2) I pray that she'll know love. That she'll know love from us, her parents. That she'll know that everything we do is in her best interest. That she'll know love from our families. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and future siblings. I pray she'll know love from her friends, from preschool classmates to college roommates. I pray she'll know love from the church as she grows in her relationship with Christ. I pray she'll know love from her future husband to carry her through her adult life. I pray most of all she'll know the love of God and that His love is the greatest of all!
3) I pray she'll realize she's beautiful. That she'll not use what this world has as it's standard of beauty, but that she'll delight herself in the Lord as an image bearer of God. That she'll know the depth of her beauty begins in her likeness of Christ.
4) I pray she'll follow the desires of her heart. As long as it pleases God, I hope she'll chase her dreams. If she wants to be a paint, we'll get her brushes and canvas. If she wants to be a lawyer, we'll work extra hours to put her through law school. If she wants to be a writer, we'll get all the paper and pens she needs. I pray she'll never ever be afraid to chase the dreams God has placed in her heart.
5) I pray she comes to know Christ at an early age. I pray she'll learn stories from the Bible when shes young. I pray God will turn her heart towards him early in her life. I pray we'll be parents who teach her God's word.
6) I pray she'll grow into a strong woman. I pray she won't let the things of this world bring her down. I pray no man will ever treat her as anything less than a daughter of God. I pray she'll be confident in herself. I pray she'll depend solely on Christ, and nothing other than Him.
7) I pray she'll understand life is about moments, not things. I look back on my childhood and couldn't tell you 10 different toys I owned. But I could tell you the times my dad played catch with me. I remember mom tucking me in every night. I remember my parents being there for every lame band recital, every little league game, and every Christmas play. I remember vacations to the beach and mountains. I remember shooting hoops and homemade ice cream. I remember driving lessons in church parking lots. I remember the moments with my parents, not the things they gave me. I pray the same goes with our daughter. I pray she'll remember not the Christmas or birthday presents, but the daddy-daughter dates. The apple-picking trips with the family. Manicures and pedicures with mom. I pray she remembers MOMENTS, not material posessions.
8) I pray that she'll want to play sports, but still be a girly girl! This is selfish, I know, but it's worth a shot right? I pray that I can help our daughter to shoot a basketball or to kick a soccer ball. At the same time, I want her to be feminine, to see her mom dressing up and want to wear the earrings and lip gloss like her.
9) I pray that she will learn from mistakes and heart breaks. This is the toughest of all to pray, because it's facing an inevitability: some time, probably more than once, she'll mess up or get hurt. I pray she'll not be discouraged, but learn from those incidents and carry on with hope and confidence.
10) I pray she'll look just like her mom. Never was I blessed in my life as I was the day I married Kathryn. She's the most beautiful woman in the world to me, and I pray that our daughter has her same looks. That she has the radiant smile, the olive complextion, the smooth skin, and gorgeous eyes. I pray that she'll realize just how much I love her mom and find her beautiful.
