Trusting God With Our Children’s Health

Sometimes I let my imagination get the best of me. Before I realize that I’m even daydreaming,  I’ve played out a dramatic story of how my child is going to contract a rare veggie deficiency disease that causes his bones to become brittle and he is always in and out of the hospital. Of course, in this dream scenario, it’s all my fault that my kid doesn’t eat veggies. I’m holding his hand while sitting beside his hospital bed, the doctor is giving us his prognosis and then….I’m for real crying.

What just happened?

I look over and there is my handsome little man, sitting at the dinner table while his little hands help him scarf down a cheese stick while his veggie chips go untouched. I shake my head, dry my eyes, and remind myself that I have a healthy boy. A non-veggie-eating boy, but a healthy boy.

Anxiety is serious business and makes us easy prey for the enemy. Even when it’s related to a kid not eating veggies.

1 Peter 5:8-9

“8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

Why on earth am I daydreaming about my child getting a serious, life-debilitating illness? There are so many reasons why doing so is wrong. By not controlling my thoughts, I’m not trusting God’s plan for my child’s life, or my life. This gives the devil a foothold into my mind, to start chipping away at my faith. I may not physically get devoured, but I can see how my faith easily would. Even if my precious boy were to get sick, even terminally ill, God’s plan is so much more.

1 Peter 5:6-7

^“6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. ⁷ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

Verse 6 clearly says that God’s hand will help us when We need it. Not when We think we need it, but in “due time.” Frankly, “due time” is a really frustrating concept. I’d love an exact date, but that is a part of how God teaches us to rely on him and not ourselves. The first part of that verse tells us to humble ourselves. If we are anxious mommies, we are clinging to control, power, idols, and putting all of those things in front of God. We are worried we’re going to lose one or all of those things. While no one wants to admit it, we can easily lift up our kids as an idol in our lives and many moms (and dads) do.

Be real with yourself: are you anxious about your kids, specifically about their health, because they are an idol in your life? Stop right now to think about this. Drop to your knees and pray about it, and confess it to God if the answer yes.

We cannot control our children. They choose whether or not to eat their veggies, how they behave, and if they will one day accept Christ’s gift of salvation. When we are anxious and worry, we are not focusing on things that are true, lovely, and admirable (Philippians 4:8), and most certainly are not relying on God.

Over the next few days, we are going to dive deeper into control and how we can be encouraged as a mother, praying for our children. Today, focus on where you stand with God and any sinful tendencies that need to be confessed and repented. Don’t move on until you feel at peace with God.

This is part of a series called The “My Kid Doesn’t Eat Veggies” devotional. Click here to read more of the series Messy Tired Love devotionals connect everyday mom moments to the truth of the gospel. Learn more here.