A couple of months ago Pastor Mario and his wife, Danetta shared a Mother’s Day message that I find myself still chewing on weeks later.
Their message was about the sacrifices some of the mothers in the Bible were required to make on behalf of their children. Danetta shared the story about Moses’s mother, Jochebed, and what a great sacrifice it must have required on her part to put her baby in a basket and send him down the Nile River. Of course releasing her baby boy was all part of God’s grander plan, but as a mother of an infant, it must have been terrifying to trust God in that situation.
Can you imagine the thoughts going through this poor woman’s head? She was a mother, after all. I would have been thinking things like: What if the basket doesn’t float or what if a fat crocodile comes along and makes a meal of my baby boy? What if nobody fishes the basket from the river and little Moses just floats downstream and dies of starvation? What if … what if … what if?
Being the mother of three grown children, I’ve had many opportunities where I’ve needed to trust my children to God and His grander plan. Sending your child to their first overnight sleepover; handing over your keys to a newly licensed teenager for their first solo outing; leaving your child a couple hundred miles from home for their freshman year of college; or even hugging your son or daughter as they leave for a tour of duty in Afghanistan or other war zone. All of these instances require superhuman mom strength just to be able to turn and walk away and entrust your child to God.
Somehow that letting go and “sending them down the river” never seems to get any easier regardless of how old our children become.
As my middle child, my only son, prepares to leave for his first mission trip to Honduras in a mere 10 days, I find myself referring back to Mario and Danetta’s message. This is only the second time one of my children has left the country and the enemy has been tormenting me with all sorts of “worst-case scenarios” and what ifs.
I know my son is following God’s command to take this mission trip and I’m extremely proud of his commitment to serve God. Yet, there’s still that little part of me that is having a hard time “putting him in the river” and relinquishing my fears and worry to God.
Rather than focusing on the negative what ifs, I’m praising God for a son who has been blessed with a servant’s heart. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for this young man as he unpacks his many gifts and talents and gets to use them to further God’s kingdom.
I’m sure that I’ll still have those what if butterflies as I leave him at the airport next week. Like any good mother though, we learn to don our superhuman mom cape and put on a happy face as we take that step of faith. If we’re doing our jobs the way God intended, eventually we must all put our children in the river to be carried away by the current of God’s grand plan for their lives.
Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. Proverbs 22:6 (NLT)
I’m putting my son in the river, Lord. Please don’t let him drown. I trust your plan for him!”
Blessings,
Kathy K.
Oh, Kathy, your profound message brought me to tears! We moms need to dwell on the good and not on the what-if situations. We’ll be praying for Jordan and for the rest of the team.
Kathy, I am right there with you. My daughter Aryana will be on that trip with Jordan. I am extremely proud of these young people and I know God will use them in marvelous way. I’m sure that even though I know this…I will not have any fingernails left by August 7th! Thank you for writing this. It totally made me feel better.
Very insightful and encouraging, yet challenging!
Somehow that letting go NEVER gets easier, regardless of how old our kids become. Thanks, Ana for prayers! And Alma, I will be praying for the entire team; now I know to include your daughter as well!