“Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again” (Ecclesiastes 11:1, NIV).
My youngest turns 20 tomorrow. How can this really be true? Once, I was responsible only for myself. I didn’t appreciate my freedom. Most twenty-year-olds don’t know anything different. Adulting is new and challenging.
Four amazing little people came into my world. Suddenly, self fell far down my priority list. The responsibility was real! Feed them; protect them; comfort them; entertain them; teach them…I was responsible for it all every day. They came from God, but were mine to care for in that little while.
What is a parent of adults ultimately responsible for? What if they don’t check in? Freedom feels powerful; maybe they need to learn life’s lessons without an ever-present mama. Maybe, for a little while, I wait, and watch, and pray.
I’ve discovered they do come back again. Of their own will, they return. I wait, arms wide open, ears ready to listen. I am responsible for my response. I can offer my grown and flown children a safe space to be and to rest.
LORD, You are responsible for all of their needs. They were always Yours anyway; I remember.
