My dear sweet, departed father-in-law often substituted worry for love. He would tell us how much he worried about our oldest son, rather than calling him and telling him how much he cared for and prayed for him. Or ask him if there was something that he could do for our son that would help secure his future. 

Before I saw the light, I worried about this child also. He had a difficult time making and keeping friends and sitting still for a whole day in the classroom. This was before the days of an IEP for a child like Brad. So, he was relegated to the bad boy side of the room, frustrating teachers and creating many teacher conferences. 

I have always been a fervent pray-er. I am not sure of the exact event, but I realized that on my own, I could not create the outcome that I desired by worrying about Brad. I decided that since he was a loved child of God, I would turn him over to the care of God. Having God as a full partner in the life of our child was a turning point for all of us. 

I did some visualization where I imagined Jesus and Brad walking down a beautiful beach. Jesus always had his arm around Brad and leaned in to hear what he was saying and return comments to him. I had to turn over his care on a regular basis because I kept taking it back. And, no, the results of this effort did not always please everyone, but the weight of the decisions was shared. I was spared the disappointments that came with setbacks. We still had to continue to provide consistent feedback to Brad about his behavior and decisions. However, knowing that God was in our corner made the decisions clearer and easier to implement. 

I also turned over my father, my husband, my other son and several siblings. The one person who evades this action is me. I surrender and then rebel. Or I get out on SR 200 and all my good intentions fly out the window. However, the one everlasting truth here is that because God loves me unconditionally, I can still ask for and receive help-anytime of the day or night, for issues large or small. 

What a wonderful Thanksgiving gift! I will leave you with this short quote from Matthew’s gospel reading for the Thanksgiving Service: “And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life span?” Matt.2 v.27 

Oh! Always remember that God loves you unconditionally, too. 

Terri