If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
This week, a friend was sharing with me what she is currently going through. She has a nephew with a disability that she had living with her. Things were going well but then something happened, and he ended up hitting her, several times. He is now out of the home, and she is not sure where he will end up. He is an adult and receives services from the state, so they are now looking for placement somewhere. She is sad, worried, and feels guilt. I told her I understand.
When my son was around 12 or 13, he had aggressive behaviors. He has a developmental disability as well. I was concerned about the aggression and even had to call the police on him. He ended up in a mental ward at the hospital and I had to make the difficult decision to leave him there. He was there through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all the way until March of the following year. Then he was given placement in another town in an institutional setting. This was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Sit back and wait. Not knowing how everything would turn out.
Going over this story again with my friend, I found myself changing the characters just a bit. A new story came to mind. You see, I was the parent trying to do what was best for my child. This is the same thing our Heavenly Father does for us. We are His children. We have behaviors that are not good, that lead to a dead end, to put it bluntly. God wants to do what is right for us and tries to put the path before us, hoping we follow it. God’s path leads to an eternity of peace with Him.
I turned my son over to God, I placed him in His hands. I had to trust that in the future my son would have a better life here on this earth and that God would hold him close. God provided that for him and continues to work on him. God’s promise for what awaits my son in eternity is far greater than anything I could have done for him in this life.
God loves us, more than we love our children. God wants more for us than we want for ourselves or our families. God wants us to turn toward Him and trust that He knows what is best. He wants us to trust that the eternal promise He has for us is better than anything we could imagine. Whatever difficulties we are dealing with now are far outweighed by the promise God has for eternity. Trust in Him.