Tuesday, March 8
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Rather than viewing God as someone who would intentionally set up adverse situations to “test” me, I prefer imagining God as a loving parent. Naturally, this lens has evolved as my experience working with children and youth has changed.
There is a very real tendency for some parents to want to insulate their child and keep them safe by protecting them from, well, everything: bullying behavior on the playground, breaking a limb on the neighbor’s skateboard, experimenting with substances, etc. While bubble wrapping might help keep our kids from harm, the truth is that helping them to gain resiliency skills to navigate adversity might actually be a more practical approach.
Would we ever thrown them into these situations? Definitely not, and I have to believe neither would God. However, a world with challenge and adversity is the one we live in, and the one a child will eventually live in when they decide their wings are strong enough to fly solo. Listening, comforting, encouraging, nudging, cheering, walking the floor or waiting patiently, a loving parent’s capacity to love their child is limitless.
As an adult, the temptation or risks can be made more difficult or less challenging depending on our point of view, experience, or ability to admit we can’t do it alone. At these times, knowing God is there through the love of our family, support of a friend, or counsel of someone we trust is the grown-up version of a God that sees us through those times of trial.
God, help us to be an extension of your love and care for one another, especially during times when we feel most alone. Amen.
–Shelly Cichowlas