Don’t worry! God is working with your children.
Worry is the sleep thief of a parent’s life. It happens before your child’s first tumble, first sniffle, and first day of school, and continues through their first fight, first love, and first love-bird fight. You can’t wait to put your worries to rest when your son or daughter matures. Uh – as one with three married children and a host of grands, let me be the first to break the news to you if you haven’t been there yet. Your worry bucket will overflow more than once, even when they’re grown. But, don’t buy a bigger worry bucket.
Worry isn’t the answer.
It will happen. Between your first baby’s first burp – and you cry tears of joy, and the birth of your first great-grandchild – and you suddenly feel old, you will ask God, “Where are you?” “Will you please fix it – them?”
God is there. Taking care of business. It’s just that you may not recognize it. He will work differently in your child’s life. They are a different generation with different experiences, problems, and needs. But, we would rest easier if their walk with the Almighty looked like ours did, wouldn’t we? (Did that thought cause you to cringe?)
God is working.
Rest. And know that you aren’t the first parent to question what God was doing in your loved one’s life. Imagine how these parents of Bible prophets felt. Feel free to smile if you can relate in any way.
Ever been the parent who thought, “Is he going to lie there all year? He needs to get a real job. Look! He’s finally getting up. No, wait…” Ezekiel lay around for over a year doing nothing – to bear Israel’s years of sins for three-hundred-ninety days and Judah’s for forty days. Read Ezekiel 4:4-6.
Or the parent who groaned, “They married the wrong person. Their life is ruined. And what kind of name is that for a child?” Hosea married a prostitute and chose names for his children that symbolized vengeance, not loved, and not mine – to show how God’s people had turned from him to worship idols. Read Hosea 1:2.
There is more
How about: “Why did they run from God? They will be scarred for life. What good can come now?” Jonah ran away from God and wound up in the deepest despair, before submitting and doing what God asked. Because Jonah finally followed God’s orders, the entire city of Nineveh turned from their evil ways. Read Jonah 3:3-5.
Here’s a biggie. “Why must they break every tradition? Their clothes. Their food. They just hang out at the river all day!” John the Baptist went against the religious establishment, baptizing in the Jordan River, and introduced Jesus, who offered grace to all who would receive. Read Matthew 3:4-6.
Replace worry with prayer
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7.
Whether your child is still in diapers or wrestling with adulthood, trust God. Entrust their life to him. Relax. If you have never been able to do that before, strive for a first. God is at work. Instead of worry, pray. A lot. Yes, you should consider investing in a bigger prayer bucket.
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