I’m sitting at my dining room table, thinking about my son, who is across the country from our family right now. He is at camp about to go to another nation and continent to spread the message of Christ.
We are so very proud of him, like all our children. Nothing is more admirable than taking the great commission to heart and sharing the gospel with lost souls.
Yet, he is not here. Our family feels incomplete, and a mother’s heart is prone to worry! I jokingly tell myself my worry must be working because nothing I worry about ever happens!
It’s an odd place to sit. Knowing my son is following his heart and the Lord’s leading, yet I’m feeling unsettled.
Do Not Worry
Matthew 6:25-26
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
I’ve read this verse many times as President of the Worriers Club and have often applied it to myself. Today I see it in a new way. I’m challenging my mother’s heart to apply this verse to my children.
This is not easy. No, ma’am, it is not.
A mother’s job is to guide and protect her babes from the minute they are born. Every cell of her being is encoded to do just that. It is part of motherhood. It’s in the job description!
If you take a close look at the job description, you’ll see that we are raising adults. Strong, independent, capable followers of Christ. Disciples who go next door or to distant nations- wherever the Lord calls them.
How do we reconcile the mother’s heart with the call of Christ on the emerging adult we have raised?
Bible Promises for You is a gem of a book that reminds us that God has promised us so much in all areas! If you don’t have it, pick it up today.
God has promised us that he will take care of those that love him. That includes our children! They sit in the palm of his hand, covered by his wings.
We must go back to the Bible and reread it. It is one thing to take these words into our heart and trust God daily for our needs, and an entirely different matter to trust God with our flesh and blood whom we have protected every moment of our waking hours year in and year out.
Giving up this illusion of control we never possessed is hard. But God has authority in our children’s lives too, and when we stop worrying and trust him, we give him his rightful place on the throne as prophet, priest, and king.
He is in control of your children’s future.
He will sustain them.
He will never let the righteous fall.
He is their hiding place, protection from trouble, and song of deliverance.
He loves them and will never forsake his faithful ones, protecting them forever.
He will rescue them, and when called upon, he will answer.
He will be with them in trouble and deliver them with honor.
He is their eternal refuge supported by everlasting arms.
He will drive out their enemies.
His perfect, flawless ways are a shield for them to take refuge behind.
He has victory for them when they walk upright, shielding their blameless walk, guarding their course, and protecting their way when they are just and faithful.
He watches over those who love him.
He is faithful and will strengthen and protect them from the evil one.
Philippians 4:4-7 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
This verse is so beautiful and exactly what I need to hear today! How about you?
Most worry is a failure to trust God and follow the verses above. This sin, like all sin, separates us from God. Rest in his truth. Cast all your cares on Jesus, and his goodness and blessings will rain down in abundance.
1 Peter 5:7 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Being a mom is not for the faint of heart. It is hard to let our babies go and not fall into worry. The good news is God’s got this and is doing a much better job than we ever could.
He cares for you, mom, and he has promised to watch over and guide your children as they begin to fly out of the nest into uncharted territory.
Get up daily and decide to cast your cares on him for that day.
Each day we have a new opportunity to build our trust muscles and once again give our anxieties to him who created the universe.
You can do this, mom! It’s hard work, but little by little you will become strong!
How have you built trust muscles when it comes to your kids? Leave a comment below.
