Parents are Praying Without Action

By: Brenda Asio

Our Father, Thou art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth! Oh, Thy will be done!

Have you ever questioned yourself what His will says?

Have you ever wondered a little bit what is stated in His will?

It is never a wish of a parent to watch their child grow up under the mercy of the world. Every parent expects their child to prevail amidst their struggles so that they can exist to tell the testimony of their journey.

When I was only 5, my mother told me of the old tales of custom and heritage of the girl gender in society.

Comparably, on a normal dry season in Awojakitoi — wind blowing, strong dusty waves piercing the shiny black melanin of the human skin, sun-scorched green leaves hailing the Creator, begging for mercy. Cream-yellow faint-green grass bushes raising heads high to meet the incoming wildfires passing by. Tough, dry tree trunks hiding insect scales and skeletons looking at the sun-baked clay grounds of dry swamp basins.

Super tough, isn’t it? Yes, that was a normal dry season day in Awojakitoi.

During such times, families depended on hunting and fruit gathering. Milk supply reduced due to scarcity of water for livestock. Culturally, families would not cultivate.

It was a season to bond, looking after the hundreds of livestock. Mothers sought the welfare of their families.

During the day, mothers gathered daughters for an informal class, teaching them how to grind millet, sorghum, cassava to produce quality standard grain flour, which was used to make bread for their families.

Girls were also taught how to attract a good man of reliable social status for a husband when they were of age. Girls were groomed to be of family-worthy substance. Privileged men such as hunters, warriors, farmers, divine men were considered a great prey to snare and trap into a marriage.

And with girls dressed in two-piece colorful prints of clothing rolled around their female beauty and all around the back, leaving a bare peep of the chest to the neck, graced with beads displaying the charm of an Ateker damsel — definitely, the Ateker sons would barely escape.

Beads were worn around the waist, freely dallying down to the hips, sitting on the cloth wrapped around the waist down wide around her in decency. Beads were differently coloured to match the print of the clothing. Some were worn around the neck, arms, wrists, and feet.

Only brides wore beads around their hair. After she was fully married to the lucky suitor, then would she dress as a fully grown married woman, wearing asuuka around her body, but the beauty of beads was still maintained.

Some women grew weary as mothers, rendering their every fibre to fixate the futures of their daughters as the incomparable beauty of the village.

Girls were reared like flowers blooming in a garden, because they married to bring good fortune and wealth. Our grandparents were an action-based movement in an old-age setting.

Now, our parents and storytime pillars are leaving us to figure out life on our own, especially in a world of very diverse advancements. Today, we have a generation that is multifaceted but has still not found where to fix their energy because we are gambling to find our right pathways.

In the old days, mothers would wear out investing in their children because they had to emulate their identity. In our modern society of formal education, a parent sits and relies on tutor, professor, and worse — the world — to prepare this child for the future. And when they notice a diversion in character and aspirations of this child, the common statement is: "The world will teach you, and when it does, you shall learn."

Oftentimes, I am confused about this statement. Do they mean learning in the coffin, or learning at the world's mercy?

Did you know that 10% of what your child exhibits in teenage behavior is genetic, 70% is parental impact, and 20% are environmental and peer factors?

Dearest parent, as the greatest shareholder of your child's future, are you supporting them with the tools and necessary education all the way, or are you praying and hoping it all turns out well? Are you present, or are you buying them presents to replace your presence?

The old society should challenge us, for they groomed a child for what they intended for them. It doesn't mean they did not pray — they might have possibly prayed more than us. But we have the resources to make our children the very best.

Can we mould good leaders, legacy builders from these infants — action while in prayer?