My Child. His Child

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again, rather, the Spirit you receive brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father” (Romans 8:14-15).

Today is my youngest son’s graduation day. From the beginning, Bret Connor Neils Worley has done things his way. As a newborn, he entered the world prematurely, spending nine days in the Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit. Shortly after his birth, when I was still recovering at the hospital, a doctor and nurse woke me up in the middle of the night with grim faces. I was worried something tragic had happened. As it turned out, my strong-willed child burst a lung because he was trying to breathe on his own, and doctors had to perform emergency surgery. He would be fine, but as NICU nurses later told me, this was a sign of things to come.

In fifth grade, we received a call from Bret’s Spanish teacher who requested a parent-teacher conference. The issue: Bret was not singing the Spanish songs in class. My husband thought I probably wouldn’t sing the Spanish songs either. The teacher said, the problem is not that Bret isn’t singing. The problem is when Bret doesn’t sing, no one else sings. We realized at that moment, we not only had an independent spirit, we had a leader on our hands.

Bret has not always led in the right direction. He is not a cookie-cutter type of kid. He wears his hair longer than I’d like and won’t ever smile for photos. In high school, he didn’t participate in as many school activities as I would have participated in. He is not afraid to take unpopular stands against authorities over him when he sees injustice. He is a warrior, not a people pleaser, and he enjoys being unique.

All that being said, I love my son, but he’s also God’s son, and I know the Lord designed him for his purpose. I am confident my daily prayers for him to lead in a righteous way will be answered, and I know he will be a pillar of the faith. I firmly believe those with the strongest testimonies are the ones God uses in powerful ways. I am an example of that. However, it’s difficult for a mom to watch the work in progress.

Do you have a strong-willed child?

Never stop praying for him or her. And when you pray, pray believing it will happen. Mark 11:24 says, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

When Bret goes off to college, he may no longer live in this household, but he is still my son, and as long as I live I will cover him with the blood of Jesus through prayers.

But while I love Bret, God loves him even more. Through Christ, he is God’s adopted son. His Abba Father will care for him, nurture him, and issue holy discipline when he is not under our roof. He will be the one to lead Bret, making the crooked paths straight. As it says in Isaiah 45:2, “I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.”

I am trusting God, and believing he will answer prayers for my child. His child.

He will also answer prayers for your child. His child. If you are not praying daily for them, it’s not too late to start today. Then believe.