Keep my child safe. It's been my job ever since he was born. From the time I strapped him into his car seat for the first time, to helping him establish the habit of wearing a bike helmet, to being careful around the stove, to getting to know his friends and their parents, and teaching him not to play in the street, I have carefully monitored most of his existence. I know that it is really the Lord who is sovereign over his safety, but it's easy to feel like the greatest responsibility falls on me.
It's hard to watch kids grow up and let go of the safety issue. This week my 12-year-old is spending the week at church camp, and I find myself constantly praying for his safety. In my mind's eye I can imagine all sorts of dangers at every turn. Hey, I'm a mom. It's what I do.
But as I've sensed an obsession with the idea of safety, I also sense the Lord helping me learn to trust it to Him. After all, is my goal for Micah's week of camp that he stay safe? Not at all, really. My greatest hope and prayer is that he will encounter the living God in a fresh and irresistible way, and that is never safe. I want his life to be filled with the adventure of living for Him. That's not safe either.
When God sent His only Son into the world, it was definitely not a safe plan. This sinful world does have dangers, snares, and trouble. It eventually cost Jesus His life. It is never safe to align yourself on God's side, at least in the eyes of the world. God's plan for Jesus was not safe, but it was one of redemption and full of good.
As I trust Micah into God's hands, I am trusting he is in the safest place of all--the care of a heavenly Father who only has good plans for him. I hope Micah finds life's greatest thrill: giving everything for Christ. I hope he learns to discern when to leave his helmet on, and when to leave it at home.
But as a mom, I will still find myself adding a prayer for his safety. I'm just in the process of learning to redefine exactly what that means.
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