Prayer for Birth and Racial Trauma

Heavenly Father,

I thank You for the honor of being a mother.
Thank You for entrusting me with this precious gift.

As I bring my children into the world, my heart is heavy.
I wonder what people will think of me as a Black mother.
Will I meet their expectations?
Or will I disappoint them?
Will my children be valued?
Or will others cast them aside?

I feel afraid of bringing children into a volatile world.
Many women who look like me do not come home from the hospital after giving birth.
Neither do their children.
Why, Lord?

I do not know how to carry these questions in my heart.
They feel too burdensome.
But You tell me Your yoke is easy and Your burden is light.
You tell me You are gracious and kind.

I want to trust You.
I believe You knit me together in my mother’s womb,
just as You will knit together the children of my womb.

You are gracious and kind.
You are the Author of life.
You are more than enough for me and for my children.

So I bring You my fears, tears, longings, and sorrows.
I believe You will make a way for me and hold me in Your arms, even when others fail me.
I believe You will care for my children, because You love them more than I do.
And I trust Your grace will carry us home.

Amen.

Copyright © 2022 Jessica Mathisen.

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Jessica Mathisen lives just outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and three kids (two through biology and one through adoption). She is a former elementary school teacher and a lover of people. Her passion is to communicate God’s love to others through writing and relationships. Her most favorite things are hanging with her family, eating chips and salsa, and reading good books.