and that equals PEACE!
My middle child was born at 31 weeks. He had many health issues that compounded being born so prematurely. He spent 264 days of the first year in the hospital followed by years of doctor’s visits , more hospital stays, and major surgeries including two heart surgeries.
My niece and her husband are dealing with a long, hard health issue with their little one. Last night, she asked me how I did it back then.
In talking with her, something occurred to me—how God helped me deal with my son’s long, hard, wearisome health battle was in many ways the same way God helped me with walk through the long, wearisome, emotional and spiritual journey with another one of my children when he was walking as a prodigal.
During the most gut-wrenching of times in both situations, God helped me set aside my emotions so I could do what I needed to do with my eye on the prize. For one child it was so he could get better physically, for the other it was so he could find his way spiritually.
In both cases, God helped me do hard things that went against my emotional momma heart. For one son, I had to do things like give permission, and even help hold him still, during painful medical procedures so he might get well.
For my prodigal, God helped me set aside my momma-heart emotions so that, instead of running to call wrong things right so we could have a peaceful relationship, God helped me trust His ways more than my ways and keep my eye on the prize of that adult child finding the Lord.
Oh, there were plenty of times I would crash into a puddle of tears; but in both situations, the physical struggles with one kid, and the spiritual struggles with another—when I wanted to fall apart, God would scoop me up and remind me that He loved me and He loves my children even more than I do. He helped me remember I could trust Him more than I trust me. It was there that the steady peace would come.
And for parents of sick kids, and maybe even more so for parents of prodigals, we have to let God strengthen us to set aside our own (very real) emotions to do what is best for our children.
For parents of prodigals, this may even include holding steady when your kids walk away from you when you refuse to call wrong things right that are hurting them.
But as you trust God more than yourself, He will help you hold tight to Him and His ways instead of walk in emotions that will likely lead you (and them) astray. You will find rest in that. I did. God is truly that good.
(PS. For those studying First John with me, I’ll be back there on Monday ❤️)
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