Devotion for Mother's Day, May 12, 2013

In the message shared with us this mother's day, our speaker reminded us that God's plan for us can take us to realities that we did not anticipate. In her message, Tricia Groenewold Van Dyk told of her discovery three years ago on mother's day that she and her husband were expecting their second child. This was not in their plans. Life took a sudden turn down a road that led to a reality strikingly different than they expected.

This is often the case as a parent. Children may appear in our lives at unexpected times; children may be injured on the ball field; children may be diagnosed with a minor or even a major illness; children may get an opportunity to go to a great college that's out of our budgets. Our children take us off course. Yet, it is off course only from what we expected, not what was meant for our lives or from what gives us joy. The new reality may be full of surprises, thrilling discoveries, fear, or unexpected joys. Our children remind us that we are no longer in charge of our own lives.

When mothers and fathers accept this reality, they are also blessed with a wonderful gift. When we realize we are no longer solely in charge, we are able to recognize, too, that our lives are in God's hands. God's reality for us may not be as we expect or think that we want. Yet, God's reality gives us unanticipated joys and a recognition that we are not alone.

May God's plan for us lead us down new roads that we embrace. Amen.