Do You Need Anything More Than Everything?
When my kids were little, I used to attend a program for moms at our church. For several years I participated and enjoyed the group. I heard many different talks on all sorts of topics ranging from gardening, home repairs, sibling rivalry, to things like teaching children about s-e-x.
Interestingly, no one ever mentioned how hard it is to parent adult children. No one mentioned how hard it is to watch a child get sucked into a vortex of addiction, whether it be pornography, gaming, or drugs. No one ever mentioned the torment of having your child choose a lifestyle in opposition to their biology or your faith. No one ever mentioned the darkness that can overwhelm a child with mental illness.
And, it is understandable! What parent of a preschooler wants to know that the difficulty they are having getting their child to eat their veggies is going to feel like a walk in the park compared to getting a teenager with an eating disorder to keep their food down? No parent struggling to help their child read needs to be discouraged with the idea that someday their child may not be able to read because they are unable to focus with intrusive thoughts. The parent concerned about when their infant is going to walk doesn’t want to worry about whether their young adult child is going to lose their ability to walk due to a whippit addiction.
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Matthew 6:34
Just like the parent of a toddler, if you worry about everything that could happen tomorrow, you will be a wreck! Whether you are a parent of a child struggling with an eating disorder, a child who is choosing a different lifestyle, a child caught in addiction, or whatever the case may be – let tomorrow worry about itself.
Deal with today. Focus on getting through the day. I kept a journal for several years, documenting the struggle we had with one of our sons. Almost every entry ended with a prayer for “strength for today.” That would be enough.
If God gives you just enough to get through the day, then it is enough. That is all you need.
In our family sessions for our son’s rehab, the facilitator talked often about worry. Instead of worrying, we learned to “wonder” about what our child would do. Try wondering rather than worrying and see what happens…you might find you can have more peace in your life!
What God offers is more than just changing our wording, however…
“God’s divine power has given us everything we need for living a godly life.”
2 Peter 1:3
God’s power has given you everything you need to live a godly life while parenting your troubled child. Everything. Peter goes on to share qualities we will want to add to our lives – qualities like goodness, faith, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, brotherly love, and unselfish concern. With God’s power and those qualities, is there anything you can’t handle?
Not borrowing trouble is easier said than done. When you find yourself caught up in the worry, though, try reminding yourself that God has given you what you need to handle today’s problems. When tomorrow comes, He will, again, give you just what you need.
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