When our young teen started to question everything I wanted to quickly set this child straight! This didn’t always turn out so well which led me to ask, “Why? Why me? Why my child?“

This question then turned to “How? How can I straighten this mess out? How can I straighten this child out?”

I had a lot to learn.

Looking back, I can now recognise a few lessons that God wanted to show me. I needed to understand that everything that came to me had first passed through the hands of God. I was presented with an opportunity.  An opportunity for my growth and maturity. An opportunity for me to be transformed more and more into the image of Jesus. Yet I was looking for the closest exit!

God is The Multi-Tasker

God is working in the life of my child at the same time He is growing me. He is choosing to use my prodigal child to mature me, to grow me, to transform me into the image of His Son. At the same time, He is working in my child’s life, even if I can’t see it at the time. That is good news!

Does God Really Know What’s Going On?

My present life is quite different to the dreams and ideals that I had for our family and each child all those years ago. Broken dreams, grieving for that which will never be… this was not what I had dreamt of when I was holding each new baby in my arms.

Did God know that I would have to face this challenge in my family or did it catch Him by surprise?

God saw all of this. He knew this was going to be my reality. Yet He chose to give me this child to raise, to train, to teach, to love. He placed this child in our family for a purpose! Not just for the child’s sake but for mine.

What I am facing today is what I am meant to be going through. I need to stop looking for the quick, easy exit and learn to grow through it. By wishing for my situation to be different I am losing an opportunity for growth, for transformation.

Father God, give me wisdom for today. Help me to see that I need this lesson for my maturity, for my faith. Father, I want less of me and more of You. Help me to have peace through this painful lesson, this transforming work that You are doing in my life. I thank you that you are working in our lives. Help me to see the bigger, long term picture. Help me to look further ahead – to Your glory.

He must increase, but I must decrease.
~John 3:30 (ESV)