It’s been a long time since I’ve learned so much of God in so short a time. Today, Nicole and I have been parents for all of ten days, and our lives are already changed forever. I was once a night owl, now I’m in bed by 10:00 p.m. at the latest. I’m not sure I had ever seen 5:00 a.m. anytime other than on a hunting trip, but now it’s my favorite time of day. And I never understood my mother when she told me about how, as a parent, she has relied heavily on God every moment of every day as a mother. She always said that she really did not know how things managed to work out so well, on countless occasions, apart from God’s divine grace, love, and incredible Spirit at work in her life and ministry as a parent.
And yes, I called parenthood a ministry deliberately. For in my opinion that’s what it must be if we are to have any hope of not screwing our kids up beyond repair. After just 24 hours of parenthood Nicole and I finally understood all the reasons why parents always say they are so tired, even though most of those I know never look it. We understood how precious God’s word is to those parents who have always sworn by the necessity of an early morning reading and prayer session by yourself. Or how much a radio sermon can hit the nail directly on the head, and leave you feeling a million times better, and in need of a quick wipe of the eyes to dry the mist you didn’t know was gathering.
Sunday a good friend encouraged me by describing parenthood as the most selfless thing he’d ever done, and the most rewarding. It reminded me that there’s a bigger picture, and that if we would only allow that idea to abide in our hearts we could see our children as the gifts they are...God’s children who have been entrusted to our care. They are His, and we are His stewards. Whether biologically, adopted, or fostered, they are all His. What a comfort that is, and a challenge no less.
Still, it doesn’t mean we aren’t still a little anxious now and then. But I also remember this: that God is a mender of the broken and torn down. As parents, as people, we make mistakes, and when we screw things up beyond repair we can remember that nothing is beyond God’s ability and desire to make them new again, better, and more reflective of His glory. You...parents, students, and children of the Father...are never beyond His grace, never out of the reach of His mercy, never alienated from His love. Respond in humility and thanks as faithful stewards.
Needless to say, my ministry as a pastor will also be forever changed...my paradigm shifted. It is not my power (laughable as it were) that drives my ministry to my children or to my students, but God’s working in and through me that meets the hearts of those with whom I have been entrusted to shepherd. All I can say, all any of us can say, is “Lord, please use me, and give me all I need to be faithful with what you have entrusted to me.” At that, we turn and give thanks for the ever faithful granting of such a request. Romans 8:28 says, “For we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” And...my mother is the one who taught me to memorize and trust in that verse. Parents, students, pastors, and children...abide in His promises, and be covered in His sufficient grace.
