I have heard of other parents finding meaningful Bible verses and praying those verses over their children, and claiming those verses as beacons for the lives of their children.
While I read the word of God, my heart has been open to hopefully finding a verse that "fits" my kids. This past week, I found it.
And although I could choose a verse for each kid, and maybe I will still do so, I find that this verse is so powerful that I want to claim it for both of my sons.
On October 28th, this was the "Verse of the Day" on my daily verse flip-calendar at my desk:
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
How appropriate for our lives. God's got us in His hands. He knew what He predestined for us before any of it came to be. He knew Michael would have Type One Diabetes. He knew. And, Noah may face trials and tribulations in his own life, and we don't know what those things are right now, but God does.
To a mother, the fact that God loves my sons more than I do is so overwhelmingly peaceful. I love them to pieces and want nothing but joy in their lives. But I understand that this is a broken world we live in, and it's a scary place to be. But God is bigger and He is greater! Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world! And this is why I pray that my sons seek Him earnestly and always and that they ask Him to be Lord of their lives at an early age so that they don't have to walk through this scary world alone. After a while, the shields held by the father and the mother can no longer protect the child, and that child has to grow up and go out on his or her own. It's that moment that I fear. I hate the thought of leaving my children in this world when I pass away. But this verse reminds me that God has a plan. Nothing takes Him by surprise.
So while we are still learning the "new normal" for our lives now that Diabetes has made itself a member for life, we choose to trust. And while we are training these boys up in the way they should go so that they don't depart from it, we choose to trust. As we mold and shape their lives through the teaching God has given us, and as we find that our own lives are shaped in the process, we choose to trust.
God is with us, wherever we go. Wherever we go.
It's a lot to ask of a mom to not be discouraged when one child is diagnosed with a disease for which there is no cure. But God wouldn't give Michael this disease if He wasn't going to see us through.
So I'll be as strong and as courageous as I can be. I'll put on the Armor of God one piece at a time, and I'll forge onward through the mess that is called this world. And I'll trust. Because He's going to be with us. And He's going to be with my sons. Wherever we go. Whatever we go through. He's here.
Isn't that worth smiling about? He's here!
Until next time,
Much love, Reba
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