One of my daughters graduates this month, and my emotions are all over the place. Do they intentionally schedule graduations for the same month as Mother’s Day so our feelings will be on extra high alert? I have so much joy and pride for my girl, for who she is and what she’s accomplished. And also—I have so many prayers for her.
My brain flashes back, like movie scenes, to when she was little and we cuddled reading stacks of pink picture books, played school with her dolls in her room, and her snuggly little body fit on my lap. I picture her wearing polka dot pajamas as we said bedtime prayers. Even though I was in charge of her bedtime, could decide which friends she could and could not have over, and made sure we prayed every night, I was never in control of her life. And I’m certainly not now.
Not that I want to be in control. I just want her to be happy and healthy and safe. I want her to know how very much Jesus loves her, find work that is satisfying for her soul, and be surrounded by people who love her for exactly who she is. I have to keep reminding myself that Jesus promises His goodness and love will follow her all the days of her life (Psalm 23:6).
I’m not the first mama who’s had to surrender her kiddos to the Lord. I think of Hannah who struggled with infertility. She poured her heart out to the Lord praying for a baby and during her prayer promised, “Lord Almighty, if you will . . . not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head” (1 Samuel 1:11).
Hannah got pregnant, and she kept her promise to God. Once her son was weaned, she surrendered the boy she had prayed so hard for, longed so much for. She took him to the priests to live out his days in service to the Lord. It sounds nearly impossible to me to hand over the baby you’d prayed and prayed for, but Hannah knew that God had gifted her Samuel. That like all children, he was actually God’s, not hers.
I consider Mary, Jesus’ mom, who, when her son was only eight days old, was told, “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too” (Luke 2:34–35).
Those are heavy words to hear about your child. Who wants their “soul to be pierced”?! The warning must have been troublesome, but the agony of watching her son be brutally tortured to death (John 19:25) is something no mama should ever have to see. And yet . . . Mary knew that Jesus had always been God’s son. She surrendered him to the Lord.
What these ladies endured makes graduation and unknown futures seem easy peasy. When I cling to the truth that my girl is more loved by God than by me, that even though I’ve been so blessed to be her mom, she has always been God’s daughter and He’s always had good, important plans for her, it’s easier for me to surrender my daughter’s future, her life to the Lord.
And when I pray for her with this in mind, God reminds me of times she chose to do the right thing even when it was hard, moments when she walked away from toxic people or situations, instances when she worked hard, overcame rough circumstances, rose above and beyond, worshipped, prayed, and read her Bible without an ounce of help from me.
Maybe you don’t have a graduate or a child, but I bet you have someone you’re praying for. I’m guessing there’s a situation that feels out of control and you really wish you could take the wheel. We have a choice—to worry and fret, to try to manage all the circumstances. Or . . . to surrender it all to Jesus, remembering that He loves us and the people we care about more than we do. That His plans are perfect, like how God knew all along that Samuel would provide wisdom and leadership for the nation of Israel and anoint David king. And how it had always been God’s plan that Jesus would have to suffer, but that he would do it to save and free all of us from sin and shame and pain. We can lift our concerns to the Lord. Like Hannah, we can pour out our hearts to God and tell him how we feel and how hard it is. Then, we can surrender our people and our plans to Jesus and trust him. Because God does work out everything for good (Romans 8:28).. He has plans to give us and them hopes and futures (Jeremiah 29:11).
We can’t control what the test results will be, if the treatment will work, if they’ll get the offer, promotion, or rave reviews. We can’t determine when they’ll get the call, how much it will cost, where they’ll be deployed, or if their plane will land on time. But Jesus will be with the people we love wherever they go. His perfect plans will prevail. We can trust Him.
Laura L. Smith is a speaker, podcaster and best-selling author who has written fifteen books including Brave Woman, Mighty God, The Urgency of Slowing Down, and Holy Care for the Whole Self. Smith is passionate about tearing down lies, so we can live in Christ’s truth. She lives in the picturesque college town of Oxford, Ohio, with her husband and one of their four young adult kids. There you’ll find her running the wooded trails, teaching a local Bible study, shopping at the Saturday morning farmer’s market, or going on a sunset walk. You can find more about her at www.laurasmithauthor.com
