By F. D. Adkins
I remember the joy I felt when I held my son for the first time, and then two years later, that same joy when my baby girl was placed in my arms. But at the same time, I also remember being afraid. These tiny, helpless lives had been entrusted to me to provide and care for and to protect them from the dangers of the world. What if I failed?
During their baby and toddler years, I hovered over them like a mother hen. I sanitized shopping carts and highchairs. Well, I pretty much cleaned anything they came in contact with. My son had food allergies, so I obsessed non-stop about what he ate, trying my best to find recipes that did not contain any allergens but allowed him to have foods that kids love, such as cake and ice cream.
Now, my youngest is about to graduate high school. I can no longer hover over my children like a mother hen or be by their side every minute to protect them from the dangers of the world. Now, I hope that I have been the mother God called me to be to these children He entrusted me with. I pray that I have taught them in the way of the Lord and that I have raised them with a firm foundation in Christ that will carry them through their lives. Proverbs 22:6 instructs, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (KJV). I know that just as I have made mistakes and had to learn some lessons the hard way, so will my children. But I pray that they will stay rooted in Christ and let Him be the foundation on which they build their future, for a future built on Christ is neverending.
