Eucharistic Readings: Psalm 1,
Jeremiah 17: 5-10, Luke 16: 19-31
Today’s Eucharistic readings brought to mind a conversation that I had
recently with a fellow mother of elementary school aged children. We were discussing one of our greatest
parenting challenges, letting go of the control that we once had over our
children. Now that our children spend
more time in school and extracurricular activities than with us, we can no
longer protect them from injury, emotional and physical, or restrict their
exposure to ideas and mass media the way we once did. But, fortunately as my very wise friend
reminded me, unlike us, God is always there to watch out for our children.
As I send my children off into the wild worlds of Davis Hill Elementary
School and Holden Youth Soccer, I am reassured by the words of Jeremiah 17
which state:
Blessed are those who trust in
the Lord,
whose trust is
the Lord.
They shall be like a tree planted
by water,
sending out its
roots by the stream.
It shall not fear when heat
comes,
and its leaves
shall stay green;
In the year of drought it is not
anxious
and it does not
cease to bear fruit.
I know that if I strive for the faith described in Psalm 1 and Luke 16
in the rewards of trusting God, I can relieve myself of much of the worry of
being a parent and allow my children to experience life for themselves.
I will not try act as if trusting the well-being of your children to
God is an easy task, for it is not. When
I find myself overwhelmed by the uncertainty and fears of parenting, I turn to
one of the many treasures in my personal Book of Common Prayer, the
Prayer for Young Persons. This prayer,
which can be found on page 829 in the Book of Common Prayer, asks God
for help for children “growing up in an unsteady and confusing world” and
strengthens my sense of peace and hope in God’s care for my own children.
Nicole McGurin
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