Letting go hasn't gotten any easier

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

One would think for a couple with 15 kids of their own it would get easier to send one off to pursue life’s ambitions, and especially when she first came into our lives less than four months ago, but it wasn’t.

Sunday, the 18th birthday of a young lady we unofficially adopted as our own after she lost her parents, we had to take her to the airport and put her on a plane back to her hometown in California and to her sisters (one older and one younger) and friends to continue her education and life there.

We had hoped she would stay longer and were somewhat heart-broken that she decided to return home to live with her older sister. Yet, we understand that she would want to be together again with those dearest to her and we are doing all we can to support her in her move back home. At the same time, she knows she has a home with us if things don’t work out as she hopes. In fact, she and her sisters would be welcome to make our home theirs if they chose.

At the same time, sending a child off into the world just hasn’t gotten any easier - in fact, this time may have been harder for me since I spent so much time driving her to places she needed to be.

The greatest comfort forparents in times like these is knowing that wherever children go, our Heavenly Father is still there watching over them, caring for them and protecting them from harm and danger. Though it is sometimes hard to take hold of in faith, the Heavenly Father is much better at caring for our children than we are and He is more capable. He has legions of angels watching over His dear children!

And though we sometimes think our children won’t continue in their faith in Jesus without us being there to guide them and prod them along a bit,we need to remember that the Spirit of God is the one who brought them to faith in the first place, not we parents even if He did use us to first present the Gospel of forgiveness. He has kept our children in the faith along the way and will continue His gracious working until the day of Jesus Christ. Even if children wander, God has a remarkable way of bringing them back again.

I think of the Isaiah passage: “He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those with young” (40:11 MKJV). How true it is!

Anyway, it wasn’t easy to send her off. Tears were shed, but now prayers are being said and we know she is in good hands - hands more loving and more capable than ours to care for our new daughter and her sisters.

Now we look forward, as we do with all our children, to hearing from her and, hopefully soon, seeing her again.

Randy Moll is the managing editor of the Westside Eagle Observer. He may be reached by e-mail at [email protected].

Opinion, Pages 6 on 08/24/2011