“But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent His Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law so He might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law.” (Galatians 4:4 MSG)
Often times, when I am hurting, the Lord reminds me that He has hurt also. It’s comforting to know that any temptation I face, He has already stood victorious over. I can borrow from His victory to find my own.
This morning we are already piling the miles between us and our only boy. The tears are just under the surface, held back by long pauses and hard swallows. The quake of detachment in this momma’s heart is is not unfamiliar in the Family of God. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit have traipsed through Their fair share of separation. They’ve sent Their only begotten Son far from home.
My son isn’t saving the world, but there is still divine purpose in the plan for his life. He’s stepping out into his own, far from the sheltering arms of Mom and Dad. It’s a thousand miles from home where he’s going to learn to lean into his Heavenly Father in a whole new way. He’s setting out to cultivate a dependence that we each need in order to thrive for the Kingdom in this fallen world.
Just as heaven had to be a bit bummed in Jesus’ absence, we are leaving San Antonio just a little sadder. At the same time, we are excited for the hopes and dreams our son is pushing into. He’s stepping out in faith and we are stepping away in faith. All this faith is producing something Kingdom in each of us.
A quick look at our scripture assures us of four truths as we part ways today:
A time of separation arrives and it is appointed by God.
Even God submits to His own good plan; in spite of personal pain.
God’s plans accomplish God’s purposes.
Obedient sons ultimately bring honor to their fathers.
We can tuck these truths in our pocket and pray into them when the longing to see each other hits hard. We can trust that God the Father is with each of us, the same Spirit is in us, no matter how far apart we wander. And we can remember that ultimately, if we stay the course with Jesus, we will all be together again forever.
Lord, today we push off into the future even though it’s hard. We leave loved ones behind but never out of Your hand. We trust You to grow us all through whatever comes next and we joyfully anticipate eternity together. Amen.