All you want as a mom (or dad) is for your children to be happy and safe. And for me, for them to love Jesus. Is your heart broken, is your child away from you in spirit? Are they sick or just down on their luck? What can we do, how can we help? Come on now, why is this happening?
Well, first, let me say, we are in a crazy, difficult world with many dangers and snares. So, this is not your fault. That said, could we have done things differently, sure, but ultimately, our child’s life decisions are surely just theirs when they reach a certain age. It is our job as parents to mold, train and discipline them as they grow, but an adult child is totally responsible for their decisions from about 18 on, with a few exceptions, which I will elaborate on later.
Let’s say you are a struggling American family that loves God, goes to church, and has trained your children to do the right thing, as you have always tried to do. And say, your oldest daughter, who attends a Christian School, goes to Sunday School, trusted Jesus at a young age and was baptized, say she gets pregnant right after graduating High School. Well, this happened to me and I will admit, I was quite taken by surprise!
You will have your surprises too, not the same, but all I could think of at the time was, this is my daughter and I will love her despite what she has done, and we will love our first grandbaby. Our daughter was alive and was going to have a baby, that could not be all bad. Fast forward to today (twenty years later,) and she has never failed to be sorry to us for disappointing us and has been a great mother (and wife, they did marry,) these many years. We forgave her, God forgave her.
I don’t know what your surprise will be, drugs, car accidents, illnesses, money problems, prison (even,) and I hate to be the barer of bad news but be ready for anything this world has to throw at you. How do you get ready, you ask? First, remind your children while they are young that you want them to be safe, name ways to keep safe without having them live in fear, but have clear guidelines. Next, stay in God’s Word, the Bible, for both guidance and comfort as you raise your children. Then, pray daily for them and their needs as they face the day to day growing pains and problems.
This is not supposed to be glib or a quick fix to raising children. Suffice to say, if you are not trusting in the Everlasting God and Savior, Jesus Christ for your every need and your children’s there is little hope when the “surprises” come.
“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”*
Professional Mom
*THE SOLID ROCK-Words and music by Edward Mote and William B. Bradbury