Lord, winter storms and icy roads can leave me snowed in and stuck in my tracks. In the same way, stress and conflict pile up until I can’t reach the heart of my child. Warm affection grows cold, and I don’t know how to thaw the ice between us. I need your light to shine into our home and make our love alive again.

Today, I feel disrespected and ignored. My child feels shut down and misunderstood. By fighting for the last word, we’ve lost what matters most. Soften our hearts so we can listen to each other’s point of view. Keep me from interrupting, criticizing, and correcting what I hear. Give me a humble spirit to value my son or daughter’s perspective. Fill me with compassion for my child’s emotions and struggles. Just as you invite me to pray and share my life with you, make me open, approachable, and accepting.

As the pendulum swings back and forth between cold silence and hot tempers, trust is broken. My child can’t depend on my unconditional love and grace. I’m skeptical and suspicious of my child’s motives and choices. We’ve come to expect the worst of each other, so we’re defensive and guarded all the time. 

Lord, I want to see my child the way you do. In your eyes, my son or daughter is your beloved creation. Your love is so “wide and high and long and deep,” you sacrificed your own beloved Son to redeem my child. (Ephesians 3:18) Despite every failure and weakness, your love “always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” in my child’s life. (1 Corinthians 13:7) Give me your kind of relentless love that holds on without giving up. 

Negativity has saturated every corner of our house. Today, restore joy to our family. Help us to connect through conversation and quality time. Bring laughter and a dose of fun to lift our spirits. Breathe fresh hope into our home so we can face forward and leave the past behind. Transform our thinking so we dwell on what is “admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy” in one another. (Philippians 4:8) Heal our wounds and soothe our fears. Fulfill your promise that “weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5) 

Lord, “darkness is as light to you.” (Psalm 139:12) This dark season for our family is no match for the light of your love. By faith, I know you will thaw the ice between us. We’ll find the help and healing we need to draw close and love one another well. Thank you for the gift of my child and the hope we find in you. Amen.