Letting Go

Babies are dependent on us for their very existence—our milk, our protection, our love and care, every moment of every day. When we answer their cries with tenderness and love, it helps them trust, and eventually they relate to the idea that God is also One who responds to their cries. In feeling our love, they become predisposed to know and believe in His love and touch when they hear stories about Him.

When we are new parents of young children, we have a sense that we are in control of their lives—that what we do and how we control them will determine what they will become.

However, as our children grow, we realize we cannot control their lives or their circumstances, and they must make their own decisions. There is a dark world of temptation, idolatry, despair, and immorality calling to them at every point. But that does not mean we are helpless. We can have a big impact on their lives and help shoulder their burdens every day.

Consider how Jesus prayed specifically for Peter before he was tempted to deny Him, and reflect on the loving, tender words of prayer in John 17. We must model our lives after His. There is One who works directly within our children’s hearts, One whose fingertips will mold and shape them: the Holy Spirit. Our work is to mysteriously engage with Him before God’s throne, and it is there that the life of our children will bloom afresh.

His Promises

See, God has come to save me.

I will trust in him and not be afraid.

The LORD God is my strength and my song;

he has given me victory.

I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.

It is better to take refuge in the LORD

than to trust in people.