Thy will be done, LORD.

Hey there! 

We just returned from celebrating Harley’s graduation from Heartland Baptist Bible College. It was a little sad on our way down to Oklahoma City realizing we would no longer have a “reason” to visit Heartland, Southwest Baptist Church, and the people who have invested in our children over the last five years. We are truly thankful to the faculty and staff, as well as the church members, who have helped to train Chaz and Harley for ministry and encouraged them along the way. It has been a blessing to this mama’s heart to know they were in good hands–being loved and cared for by so many, being taught the Truth of God’s Word, and challenged in their personal walk with the LORD.

Surrender

I recently spoke at a ladies luncheon on the topic of surrender. Jesus truly gave us the greatest example of surrender when He prayed, “Not my will, but thine,” in the Garden of Gethsemane. 

As I studied for the lesson with Mother’s Day and Harley’s graduation approaching, I couldn’t help but think about how often we are called to surrender our children to the LORD. When they are born, we realize our children are gifts entrusted to us by God and it is our responsibility to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the LORD. We surrender them to the LORD and His perfect plan for their lives. That’s easy to say when they are born, and we feel like we have some sense of control over their little lives. 

All too quickly, we realize that their safety is not in our control. Each new age and stage brings a new set of danger (driving!?!?!?!). We must trust the LORD to protect them and keep them safe. But what if He doesn’t? That fear would cause us to hold them “too tightly” and consume us if we didn’t put our trust in the LORD and believe that He is able to work out everything for their good, our good, and His glory.

And then as they grow older and begin making decisions for their futures, we surrender again in a different way. Whatever control we thought we had over them and their decisions will come to an end. Will they stay true to how they were raised? What if they don’t? Once again, we must surrender them to the LORD, trusting that He has a plan and a purpose for them, and will work it out according to His timing. 

We are currently in a season where both Chaz and Harley are praying about their next steps in ministry. The LORD seems to be leading in a direction that would take them both far from here (nothing final yet), and I find myself surrendering them once again to His care. I know there is no better–and no safer–place for them to be than at the center of God’s will for their lives. My heart’s desire has always been that they would do exactly what the LORD would want them to do–no matter where that took them–and I find myself saying…

“Thy will be done, LORD.”