A Prayer for One Who Parents Alone
Ever-present God,
Remind us that You are near
In our single parenting.
For we are spread thin,
Stretching to fill many roles,
And we come to You
Aware of our family’s need
To be filled with Your care and great compassion.
O Lord, we feel like we’re doing
So much for our families,
Yet it’s never enough.
Today we give all we hold
And all we juggle
And all we try to balance
To You, for Your love
Is big enough for it all.
And You never abandon,
Never leave,
And never give up.
Help us when we need it—
Through rest,
Through community,
Through grace for ourselves
And our children—
When there’s not enough time in the day
Or energy in our minds and bodies.
Be with us in the brimming schedules
And stacks of expectations
That weigh heavy on our hearts.
Help us see You
In our homes,
in our workplaces,
In our dreams,
In our decisions that must be made,
And in our disappointments, too.
We want the world for our children.
We want them to live freely and lightly,
Without any extra weight—
Especially weight caused by us.
Your love is extravagant,
And we ask that You will
Lavish Your love
In the corners we cannot reach,
In the expectations we cannot meet,
In the itches we cannot scratch.
We ask You to guide our paths
When school events
Like “Muffins with Moms”
Or “Donuts with Dads”
Pop up on our calendars.
Be near us in the reminder
That You see our kids
And You’re with us
When long days stretch into sleepless nights
And we wonder where You are.
We ask for endurance
In this race.
Thank You for the gift of together—
For the laughs,
For the memories made.
Meet us in it all,
And guide us in this journey.
Amen.
Copyright © 2021 Kayla Craig.
“A Prayer for One Who Parents Alone” by Kayla Craig from To Light Their Way: A Collection of Prayers & Liturgies for Parents.
Kayla Craig believes in the power of story. She writes nuanced and nurturing prayers for parents raising kids in turbulent times at Liturgies for Parents and is an experienced podcast producer. She co-founded and hosts Upside Down Podcast, a place for ecumenical conversations on faith and justice. Her most recent published essays are in This Is Motherhood: A Motherly Collection of Reflections + Practices (2019) and Rally: Litanies for Lovers of Jesus and Justice (2020). Kayla and her husband Jonny live in Iowa, where they raise four young kids. She’s stubborn in hope and has a penchant for deep mugs of coffee, deeper laughs, and even deeper questions.