As a mom I am regularly faced with fear about my children. For me it normally comes in the form of losing one of them or something happening to either Dan or I. This fear will attack at random times but also when I am going to be away from them for a period of time. All logic seems to be thrown out the window when my mind is attacked with this fear.
Thankfully I am not alone and have a God who loves my boys more than I do and who is good. There are some areas of life where we feel we have some control over and there are other areas where we are brought to the realization that we don't have the control. This is one of those areas. I cannot promise or ensure the safety of my children. Now obviously I make decisions that promote their well being and not be stupid, but when it comes down to it our lives are in God's hands.
Now even this realization doesn't make it easy to let go of the fear and even though I am writing this it still has a small hold on my heart. 1 Peter 5.7 says "Cast all your anxieties on him, for He cares for you". I can't imagine dealing with this fear without God, I would be a wreck because there would be no one to hold it for me. I can cast, get rid of, my fears to God and He wants to take them. He WANTS me to be dependent on Him, trust Him and be at peace.
I read John Piper's devo app regularly and I opened it today hoping it would be something about fear and it was! It was different than I would have expected, but I think that was better. One thing that stood out to me was "God will gladly receive anything from us that shows our dependence and His all-sufficiency".
I feel like this fear might be a regular theme in my life, I will always want to protect my kids from all hurt. But there is SOMEONE who wants to carry that burden for me, who holds the world in His hands and who loves us all very much. He is my Savior, my Rock, my Redeemer. And because of Jesus taking my sin on me I have that relationship with the God of the Universe and He makes all this possible.
God is good, God is good, God is good.
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Great post, Robyn! Parenthood is definitely a HUGE learning experience in that area of trusting and relying on God. We will be thinking of (fearing for???) and praying for our babies for the rest of our lives. :-)
ReplyDeleteOh Robyn, this is something both Dad and I have thought about and discussed. This past summer when I was privileged to care for Aiden for the week, in tears I begged God not let anything tragic happen on my watch. Ask Dan about my parenting fears. "Casting all your cares on Him, for He cares for you." From my devotions a couple days ago, "though our trust is imperfect and unsteady, I am the Rock eternal." Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
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