A Future and a Hope

This morning, as Hannah grabbed her lunch and backpack and headed out the door for school, she stopped , then turned to reach for the car keys, and standing there before me I see a young woman.  When did she stop being a girl and become a young woman?  This summer, she turned sixteen, got her drivers license and a job, and everything is different now.  I no longer drive her where she needs to go and she has gained her independence.   I wave goodbye and watch from the front door.  And as I watch her drive away, I pray for her safety and well- being. 

But, I want more for her, so much more.  I wonder.  Have I done enough with the time I have had with her?  Did I teach her that true happiness comes from having a relationship with Jesus Christ?  Did I instill godly principles of honesty and integrity?  Did I show her by my example that having a good day is the result of hard work and self-discipline?

The questions keep coming.  Will she make good choices to take care of her body and mind?  Will she remain pure in her thoughts as well as her actions?  Will she remember that God is always with her and call upon him for help and guidance?

Raising a child is an enormous responsibility and I know that I have made many mistakes bringing up my children.  Ephesians 2:4, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us,...... " reminds me that God's mercy is his compassion for us.  He takes pity on us and saves us.  Raising a teenager can be downright scary.  I want all those things and more for Hannah, but I realize that she is mine for only a little while.  She will be an adult and have to stand on her own two feet.  But God is rich in mercy....


In the book of Jude we find one of the most beautiful benedictions in scripture.  It is the perfect place to end this discussion.  "Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand  in the presence of  his glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever.  Amen.  Jude 25.