by Kacey Randolph

With the beginning of a new school year and Fall approaching, I can’t help but to think of the changing seasons. Not only in reference to our weather but also in our lives. Recently, there have been circumstances in my life where I have wished I could put the world on pause so that I can have a few quiet minutes to pray and to figure everything out – what’s the right thing to do, the right thing to say….Have you ever been there?

I home schooled my oldest son, Ryder, for Kindergarten and this school year he is attending a public school. Changing seasons. While I believe this is the right choice for him this year it didn’t come easily and it is taking some time to adjust. Even though I believe this is the right choice, it is not the most comfortable. When God calls us to something, the directions to accomplish his call are not always down the easiest route.

School has only been in session a few weeks and already, the playground in particular, has offered several learning opportunities. Silly kids disobeying all for the sake of a good time, mean kids being pushy, ugly talk…you know, life. Ryder has come home with a slew of questions including how to handle the second grader who pushes him off of the balance beam. Like most mothers, the thought of someone pushing your kid around has the potential to make you crazy. As I listened to Ryder explain what was going on (which sounded more like a misunderstanding than a bullying situation) I prayed for the right response and how to direct him to handle things the next time. Do you know what I realized? God is building Ryder’s character. God is using this (potentially) pushy second grader to allow me to minister to my child. To teach him about right and wrong choices, to teach him about compassion and how to stand up for what you believe in. It’s not easy to think about your child being pushed but it IS comforting when you realize how God can work through the situation and turn it in to something good, for the betterment of your child.

As adults, we don’t have to be on the playground to experience situations like this. It could be a challenging employer, relative, or even a thing – like a dishwasher that always breaks down, or a new transition. In every instance we have to ask ourselves what can I learn here? How can God be glorified in this situation? How can I respond in a way that glorifies Him? It’s not always easy, but do we really learn when things come easily? Or do we learn best when we are tested and we are able to testify to how God has worked through difficult times?

Maybe your dishwasher breaks down so you take time to slow down and really appreciate God’s provision. Maybe the lady who received bad news at the doctor’s office did so because you were able to operate in boldness and pray with her and when she was given miraculous news the next day, God was glorified.

Life’s seasons will change just like the weather, sometimes faster. There will be times of trial and times of favor. We can make even the hardest of times easier when we look to God for not only comfort but also discernment and understanding.

 

by Amy Ford

“If I hear about one more baby left in a car, or accidental drowning, or mass shooting, I’m going to lose my mind,” I ranted to myself with all the hormones of a pregnancy in its eighth month.  The constant barrage of news stories such as these is enough to send anyone on a media fast, but with my second child on the way, I am nearer the point of gathering supplies, locking up my home, and huddling with my family for the next eighteen years like some paranoid doomsday prepper.

This, I know, is not rational thinking.  Sheltering our children does them no favors in life, as any pop psychologist will confirm.  However, I think all women who have carried  children in their wombs or gone through the long and difficult process of adopting cannot help but feel a sense of urgency to protectively cling to their precious ones when the possibility of harm arises.  “After all,” I think, “those are my babies!”

That’s when I hear the voice of my Father: “Ahem, your babies?”

Okay, so that still, small voice has to get abrupt with me sometimes.  But, He has a point.  I have heard, and repeated myself, that God does not have grandchildren, only children.  And these lives that have been entrusted to my husband and me are just that: trusts.  We are not owners outright.  These children in my trust belong to God first and foremost.

So what does that say to my mother bear instincts?  Of course, I am responsible for these children: their health, education, safety, and development.  But ultimately, I cannot choose their paths or their destinies.  The oft quoted verse comes to mind immediately: “For I know the plans I have for you…”(Jer. 29:11).  We all know this verse, we repeat it, we write it on baby shower and graduation cards, but do we take it seriously when it comes to our own children?  It is a question of faith.  Do we have enough faith to truly trust God with that which is most precious to us, no matter what God’s plans look like?

Francis Chan, in his book Crazy Love, poses the scenario of a group of people going on a mission trip.  As we send them off, the first thing we always do is pray for their safety.  It seems logical, but what if we changed our perspective?  Shouldn’t our goal be, on mission trips or even everyday life, to see the Kingdom advanced, no matter what?  Jesus tells us to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all else will be granted to us (Matt. 6:33).  Of course we want our missionaries, our children, our spouses to be safe, but I am pretty sure God knows that.  I am also pretty sure that God can get glory out of any situation, and sometimes, His name shines more brightly through adversity and trial than through an easy, comfortable situation.

Many pastors like to remind us of the story of Abraham taking Isaac to be sacrificed out of obedience to God, having enough faith that God would not break His promise.  However, I cannot help but think about what Sarah was doing while her husband and child were away.  Did she know what God had told Abraham to do?  Did she pace the floors? Did she sleep at all?  Did she walk to the edge of their property and peer off in the distance looking for a sign of their return?  I cannot imagine the heart-wrenching hours she spent, knowing or even suspecting what was happening, but not knowing the end result.  However, it was their obedience that shook the world, laying the foundation for every hope we have today.

It is this kind of faith that God desires: not simply acknowledging belief, but living with Kingdom perspective, placing God on the throne of complete sovereignty in our lives.  And every time I look at my son’s beautiful face or feel my baby girl flip inside me, I have to stop and say a prayer of surrender to the Lord.  He knows the plans for me and my loved ones, if only I will trust Him enough to let Him fulfill them.