The Excitement of Parenthood

"Do you give the horse his strength or clothe his neck with a flowing mane? ... In frenzied excitement he eats up the ground; he cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds." (Job 39:19-24)

When someone told me, "Your life would never be the same again" twenty-two years ago, I took it with a grain of salt. But now I know better -- we will never stop being our son's Mom and Dad for the rest of our lives. Looking back, I am amazed at the journey we took as parents. I could mention the outcome, "Our baby boy has grown up ... He graduated from college!" or I can share with you how loving our son means we travel with him through life, in spirit or in person.

Just a few minutes ago, my husband and I were making faces to each other and laughing nervously with mixed emotions reading our son's blog -- What? Hopping on his mountain bike 5 times per second? Landing on the ground with 7 holes in his T-shirt? Telling his friends who formed a circle of concern around him that he was okay? Thanking God that he only had a scab?

In Job 39, God was questioning Job about his knowledge of animals, their youngs, and control of life. No matter how much we want to protect our kids, sooner or later we have to let them go. There is comfort in knowing that other parents have experienced similar fears and heartaches. Focus on influencing your sons and daughters while they were at home; and surrender those concerns that are out of your control!

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