I am just now entering the parenting stage of letting go. My older sons are more independent and I have a third learning to drive. It has been exciting, nerve wracking and pride inducing all at once as I watch them make their way in the world outside our home.
The farther I journey as a parent, the more I appreciate God as my Father. I think of all of the times that I have gone my own way and the fits I have thrown when things didn’t go my way. I think of the times when I have hurt His Father heart. There are poor choices I have made, just like my own children have, that I wish that I hadn’t. God in a sense, through giving us freewill, has always chosen to be in the letting go stage. The awesome thing is that He is also always in the welcoming-back stage.
That is the other thing I am learning about parenting. Even when my children stretch their wings and fly, they still need to come back every now and then to a safe place to talk about their adventures. I try in the same way, to stay in communication with my Heavenly Father about my adventures. I love the picture God gives in the Bible of us finding shelter under his wings. We do not need to fight our battles alone out in the cold, unprotected world. We have an available, comforting Father with us at all times.
I am not always able to be as available to my older children as God is to us, of course, and that is okay. It is my goal that they will always turn to their Heavenly Father first, before turning to their (let’s be honest, flawed) earthly parents!
So if this is also the parenting stage you are in right now, please find comfort that God understands the push and pull of letting go and receiving back. He knows the heartache of good bye and the wonderful joy of reunion. He knows the delicacy of not pushing any of us past our freewill–while keeping His arms open wide.
“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him. For He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with His feathers. He will shelter you with His wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.” Psalm 91:1-4
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