Do you ever look at your sweet, impressionable child and then take a long, hard look at yourself and think, “Dear Lord–what were you thinking?”
It’s scary. It’s scary being responsible for them. There are so many questions to answer. Do I shield them and their innocence? Or do I equip them for reality? And the most frightening of all: How badly am I gonna screw them up?
I just have a few bits of biblical perspective to hopefully help you when the burden of parenting seems unbearable.
- Don’t be afraid.
- He works all things out for good.
- You can trust him with all your cares, 1. Because he cares for you, your child, and everyone (I Peter 5:7) and 2. He’s actually the one strong enough to manage it all, make a difference or change it all (Psalm 55:22).
- He loves and knows your child better than you. She is safe with Him.
- He gave YOU to your child as his parent. (He’s a wise father who gives good gifts to his children–and that means you are a good gift to your child).
- There are no “good old days.” Every generation –since Adam, since Noah, since John the Baptist, since George Washington, since Abraham Lincoln and since Joe Biden –has been plagued with its own sin. There isn’t a time you could travel back to that is free from some grievous generational sin.
- You and your child were born “for such a time as this.” Into this precise generation, neighborhood, demographic, and school. With this particular culture and technology and brokenness. Purposefully placed here and now. “And that is an encouraging thought.”—Gandalf
- And I say it again: Don’t be afraid.
It’s normal and healthy to feel the gravity of caring for your child’s soul. It means you understand parenting is hard work that requires intentionality and God’s amazing grace. But that burden doesn’t have to weigh you down with paralyzing fear. Let it weigh you down just enough to hit your knees.
I know it’s scary. But God’s got you–and your kid.