Saturday, April 7, 2018

Pulling An All Nighter...

I did not go to college, but I hold several honorary degrees...
The research papers, reports and essays I've edited are too numerous to count.
And although I've spent many hours editing papers, the all-nighter's I've pulled are very different from a college student's.

My dream career was motherhood...is motherhood.
When the kids were little, I had my fair share of sleepless nights.
During that time, I had a silly notion that those days were numbered.
That one day, I'd sleep soundly in my quiet house oblivious to my children because they'd be grown and gone and safe and sound.

One day is here.  My kids are grown and gone.
Yet sleep eludes me.
I'm not up every night, but every now and then, I do not sleep.
Why?
Because I'm a mother.
I lay in bed and think about my kids and start to pray.
Sometimes a passage of scripture comes to mind.
Last night it was 2 Timothy 1:7.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
I prayed that verse over my children. 
I prayed God's protection over my children...protection from the spirit of fear - from the evil one.
God is faithful.

All of my children are in flux - beginning new seasons of their lives - doing big things and taking on enormous challenges.  
My children do not shrink from life.  They live boldly.
My son is starting a strenuous course of study to become a physicians assistant.
My daughter and her husband are hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.
My younger daughter is graduating from college and looking forward to serving the Lord with her life.
A mom could become overwhelmed with anxiety if she dwelled on the hard work, difficulty, danger, uncertainty and risk involved in each of their endeavors.
I'm thankful that I can fall to my knees before God in the stillness of night and lay my children at His feet.  
Their Heavenly Father, who loves them more than I could hope to, will provide for them, protect them and draw them nearer to Him in the process. 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

*Update: This was written almost a year ago...My son is doing well in PA school, my daughter and her husband successfully finished the PCT and my youngest daughter is working in her chosen field...God is faithful. And next year, things may have changed, new challenges might emerge, and God will still be faithful! Amen!

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