Trusting God from my "empty nest"

(published in Cordele Dispatch, Aug.16, 2012)

Life as I know it is about to change.  I am now entering the phase of life known as “the empty nest”.  

For 18 years, I have had the privilege of doing all the things that a mama would do to ensure my son grows up to be a responsible, law abiding citizen with a kind heart and concern for others.  More importantly than that, my goal as a Christian mother has been to ensure that my son knows the Lord and has a personal relationship with Him.  Like many others, I have spent countless hours in prayer for my child.  When he became a pre-teen, I found one prayer repeatedly on my lips – that my son would know who he is in Christ above all else. 

When we know who we are in Christ, we can know that we are accepted.  John 1:12 tells us, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”.  As a child of God, we have direct access to him.  We are never alone and we can know that we have a friend in Jesus. 

Knowing who we are in Christ also gives us a sense of security.  As God’s children, we can be secure in who we are and be confident that God will work in all of life’s circumstances to bring about good for us.  Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”. 

God’s children can not only feel accepted and secure, but we can know that we are significant.  We have been chosen for a purpose.  God has a plan for each of us.  He wants to use us to bring glory and honor to himself and to reach others for His Kingdom.  Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”. 

My prayer that my son would know who he is in Christ has continuously been at the forefront of my mind as I’ve watched him become the young man he is today.  I have seen a timid little boy takes the necessary steps through the years to grow into a talented, determined, young man with the gentleness of a lamb and the heart of a lion. 

I am excited about the new changes he is about to experience, yet at the same time, I have had to battle the fear of a mother having to let go.  I have to remind myself that God is in complete control and walking ahead of my son as he departs home for college.  I will no longer be able to see with my own eyes that he is safe and secure at all times, but I know by faith that he will always be under God’s watchful eye and never beyond God’s reach.  As my son and I enter this new stage of life, we can both be confident in Christ and trust that He knows what is best for each of us. 

There is one thing we can count on in life – and that is the fact that life is constantly changing.  We can, however, take comfort in the fact that God never changes.   He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Lynn Langford

I'm sharing this post at Imparting Grace this week