I remember when my first son was a baby. I told my sister about all my worries: Was he eating enough? Would he ever sleep? Why was he crying so much? What was I doing wrong? She said, “How old are you? Twenty-nine? That’s how long our mom has worried about you. That’s just what moms do.”
It is so true. As parents, we feel it is impossible not to worry about our kids, at any age or stage. We worry about their sleep, their potty accidents, their tantrums, which school to send them to, whether they will make good friends, and whether they are keeping up with their homework. We worry about them when they get their driver’s license, experience their first breakup, go off to college, and get their first job. We worry about their safety, their health, their faith, and the world we live in. We worry that we haven’t done enough as parents, that we were too strict or not strict enough, and that we have made too many mistakes along the way. There are just so many things to worry about.
Yes, we know we shouldn’t worry so much. We know it is actually commanded by God to not be anxious (Matthew 6:25). We also know the familiar verse from Proverbs 3:5:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
We know we should trust God with our children, but we’re not very good at that. We need His forgiveness, His strength, and His reassurance that He has our children in His hands.
A Biblical Example
Just for a moment, put yourself in another parent’s sandals—Moses’ mother. Can you imagine if the leader of your country ordered every baby boy to be thrown into the river? When she gave birth to a boy, Moses’ mother hid him for three long months, knowing that if he was discovered, he could be killed. Then she made a basket, waterproofed it, and hid him in the reeds of the river. As her daughter Miriam watched to see what would happen, all Moses’ mother could do was wait and pray.
Surely she was worried sick. Surely she was constantly anxious and could hardly sleep all those nights as she hid him, thinking about all the what-ifs. Yet the Bible says, “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict” (Hebrews 11:23). Not afraid? How? By faith. By trust in the Lord. By knowing that as much as they loved their child, God loved him more and had a plan for him.
In God’s Hands—Now and Forever
God loves our children more than even we do as parents. He knows their future, and He promises to never leave them. He is holding them in His loving, fatherly hands. He knows everything about our children—their strengths and talents, their temptations and struggles, their heart and soul. He loves them so much that He sent His own Son to die for them. We can trust Him.
God also loves us parents, even when we feel weighed down with worry. He forgives us, lifts our burdens, and reassures us through the comfort of His Word and Sacrament. He surrounds us with other Christians who have walked through parenthood ahead of us and can encourage us to keep the faith. He hears every prayer we pray for our children, and He promises to guide us through times of uncertainty.
This is the God in whom we trust. He has entrusted us with our children for a purpose. He knows they need us, and we need them. He doesn’t promise our kids will have an easy life in this broken world, but He does say, “Take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). The God who overcame sin, death, and the devil can surely be trusted with our children, now and forever. Let that one word—trust—guide our new year as we exchange our parenting worries for Christ’s perfect peace.
Scripture: ESV®.
Explore Scripture and devotional prompts each day with this month’s Everyday Faith Calendar. This month focuses on trusting God!
