No worries.
By the time this article is published, my daughter will be on a beach vacation with her biological father. She’s going away for a total of 12 days, and I find the prospect a paradox of sorts- exciting and terrifying, filled with anticipation of new memories and at once plagued by my daughter and I missing one another and looking forward to being together again.
I am excited for her to have a vacation in a new place spending time with people she doesn’t get to see often. In the same way, she’s looking forward to making sandcastles, playing in the ocean, and going out to dinner. She’ll perhaps even be able to do some other new activities- putt-putt, anyone? There’s something soothing and energizing about the beach, and some of my favorite memories from childhood are those seaside times.
At the same moment, however, I am utterly terrified, and she’s showing some hints of nervousness, too. ‘What ifs’ are exploding in my head like popcorn in a microwavable bag, and I know that until she comes home safely I’m going to be a bundle of nerves. I’ve found myself hugging and snuggling and kissing her so much in the past few days that she’s beginning to say, “Mom, enough!”
As parents we’re natural worriers, but we have strong desires to balance that cautiousness with a dedication to expose our children to all the world has to offer. That balance, at times, seems to be such a fine line that it is nearly impossible to achieve. Maybe the most fun and challenging part of being a parent is trying to walk that thin line. We tell them to spread their wings one minute and long for them to sit in our laps the next.
I’m reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan, and Chan makes the argument that it is simply arrogant to worry. He writes that worrying is an activity reserved for those of us who think our own lives so important and our own selves so mighty that we doubt the one who made us. For Christians, it’s as if we sometimes assume that we have accomplished all we have without the help of a mighty Creator, which we know at root is absurd. I was so struck by this (convicted, if you will) that I’m trying to train myself to think about this situation differently.
For the duration of my daughter’s trip, I’ve decided that every time I worry I’m going to remember that something greater is in control, and I challenge you to do the same. Each time you worry about your kids- whether it’s in the nursery or the swimming pool, resolve to do your best as a parent and then let it go. Make an earnest effort to fill your mind and heart with something other then worry, like an optimistic anticipation of the future.
And then ask me how I did next Monday.
