Cathy's Corner

Cathy’s Corner

When our children are young we have them under our feet. Rarely do they get out of our sight. We know they are close by and so we feel in control. We love them and we kiss the hurts away and make it all feel better. The times they are away from us we know where they are and who they are with. As they grow older and they gain their independence, we allow them to go to sleepovers, birthday parties and activities without us. The teenage years are where we find ourselves wondering where they are, if they are with whom they are supposed to be with and what are they doing that we don’t know about. I realized as mine got older that I really didn’t have as much control as I thought I did. One of the first times was when Cassandra called and said she had been in an accident. She was three hundred miles away and I couldn’t do anything. Then another time was when J went to Iraq and was thousands of miles away. I couldn’t even call him if I wanted to. Not being in control hit me right between the eyes. That’s when I truly had to turn my children over to God. I thought I had, but obviously I had not. God showed me that no matter what happened He was with them and He was with me. He would walk beside me every step of the way and yes, during that time, He even carried me.

Fast forward to present day. Once again one of my children is going through something that I can’t do anything about and I have no control over. Cassandra is in her seventh month of pregnancy and just recently diagnosed with gestational diabetes. She’s seeing a nutritionist and is testing her blood four times a day. I want to be able to kiss it and make it feel better. But like so many times in their lives, I can’t fix it. I can’t prick my finger four times a day and test my blood. I can’t watch my diet for her and I can’t carry this baby for her. While she is doing wonderfully with it, my prayer for her was to have a perfect pregnancy and delivery. If you can have it with a pregnancy, then she’s had it - from the morning, noon and night sickness to gestational diabetes. They’ve told her she won’t go full term because either her blood pressure will be too high or the baby will get too big to deliver. She’s hanging in there like a trooper and I am so proud of her. The mother in me wants to fix it and make it go away, but I can’t.

I know who holds today and tomorrow and I do know who is in control and has been from the very start. He knew she would have gestational diabetes. He knows what day this baby boy will be born and He has a plan. It’s so hard for us to let God be God sometimes and not jump in and try to fix things for others when they go awry. Something I once read by Oswald Chambers often makes me stop and think – just because we don’t know God’s plans, He has reasons for the things He does. How many times has He taught me something in all I was going through? It’s not up to me to make everything right. Sometimes there are valuable lessons in what we are experiencing - things that will help us deal with matters down the road or help someone else. My first two pregnancies were not normal and I was considered high risk. Now, not one but two of my daughters have gone or are going through much of the same things I went through. Even though I can’t fix it for them, I can tell them what to expect. I can support them in their trial, and I can point them to the One who loves them even more than me. Prayerfully it will draw them closer to Him.

Have a great day in the Lord!