Protecting Our Children . . . Letting Them Fall
No one likes to see a child fall. I can still vividly remember those first few moments, days, and weeks, after my children were born. Holding them all bundled, promising to protect them from the world and asking for wisdom to make this reality. Looking back I see where I have “stuck to my guns” and where I have failed and I still struggle to some extent in wanting to protect them. It’s a natural instinct. But where do you draw the line when you know that what your child is doing will eventually bring defeat, harm, or even ruin. Yes, I believe in the sovereignty of God, that “all things work together for good,” and in training “a child in the way they should go.” But now that they are grown and are learning from the decisions they make themselves, I still pray for their protection, their safety, and wisdom to make right choices. And as a parent, oh how I pray they will. There is a deep, deep ache in my heart knowing that they will sometimes stumble and fall. And when they do, following the example I’ve learned from my Heavenly Father, I will be there to dust them off, hold their hand, apply the band-aid, and do all I can to show them that they are loved no matter what.
