PARENTING – A TOUGH JOB

There is no doubt that being a single parent is one of the toughest jobs around.

Whether you are a single parent due to divorce, death, or gave birth out of wedlock, you are travelling a tough road. It is equally difficult whether you are the divorced mom or dad, who does or does not have custody. Each single-parent family has its own unique challenges.

There are struggles of balancing work, childcare, housework, children’s activities, and visitation schedules. You’d also like some free time for your own needs.

Certainly, financial struggles are usually among the biggest of concerns, particularly for a custodial parent. Unfortunately, the delinquent child support statistics add to these concerns. All the while, in the midst of each of these struggles, the children and their need for attention, quality time, guidance, and day-to-day care seem overwhelming. It seems every facet of life is a juggling act.

Single Parent – The Stories

The following stories describe some of the difficulties of single parenting from different

viewpoints:

• “Now that my children are raised, I look back and wonder how we survived. I have two children, a low paying job, and an ex-husband who didn’t pay child support — ever. I often worked two, and at times three, jobs just to keep a roof over our heads and a little bit of food on the table.

I still have pangs of guilt. Why? Because I know that my children’s parental attention

and guidance left a lot to be desired. I had no family to count on for help. Since

I had to work many hours just to survive, I was not there for them. But I found that God kept His protective hand on them and gave me the strength to endure.”

• “As a non-custodial single father, I missed my kids tremendously Through their growing up years. I tried to be involved and had them with me when their mother felt generous or needed a babysitter. But it wasn’t the same. One of the most difficult things to deal with was her poisoning their young minds against me. All I could do was to love them and be involved as much as possible. My ex-wife is an unscrupulous woman, but the courts didn’t seem interested in the ‘father’s rights’ for any kind of ‘say.’ In fact, as my son became more difficult and rebellious toward his mom, she had him placed in an orphanage, spitefully refusing to let me have him. After three years, I finally won custody. During that time, I had joined a support group through my church that helped me know

I was not alone. They helped me see that I could not let bitterness rule me. Hebrews 12:15 says, “Look after each other so that none of you will miss out on the special favour of God. Watch out that no bitter root of unbelief rises up among you, for whenever it springs up, many are corrupted by its poison.”

These parents had two very difficult situations. Neither gave up and they found strength, hope, and a joy to endure. So can you if you look in the right places.

Can we Pray? 

1. Father Today I thank you for the Gift of Family union 

2. Lord Today I pray that any seed of disunion in my marriage be uprooted from my life, my husband/wife in the name of  Jesus.

3. Father, Please let not my family fall into disunion

4. Lord en- grace me and my husband/Wife to understand the position we each have in our union 

5. Lord Jesus Cover my marriage with your precious blood

6. Lord today I come against every form of satanic re-enforcement planning to scatter my marriage in Jesus' name 

7. Father, I overthrow all forms satanic strongholds promoting divorce, separation and singlehood when people have finally gotten married, I declare it shall never be my portion in the name of Jesus.  

8. Lord, every demon responsible for Divorce and Separation in marriages shall not use me and my husband/Wife as its target in the name of Jesus. 

9. Lord, I cover the lives of my children with the Blood of Jesus.

10. Every agent and arrow of satanic forces, arranging to attack my children's future through a divorce, separation and disunity in my marriage, Lord may they be arrested and destroyed in the name of Jesus. 

11. Father, Lord may my house and marriage be covered in the precious Blood of Jesus.  

12. Thank you, Lord, for preserving my Children, my Huband/Wife and family from all forms of disunity.