I don’t think there’s anything that can aptly prepare a parent to navigate a season with a prodigal child.

I’ve never met a parent yet who would knowingly sign up for such a trial.

For me, watching my child walk out the door with nothing but a backpack to her name and a willful defiance in her heart was the most horrifying, heartbreaking, gut-wrenching day I’ve ever lived through.

Partly because I knew that everything she was running toward would only leave her more empty than she already was and partly because I couldn’t help but question where I went wrong as a parent.

As a Christ-follower, I thought I’d done everything right. I took my daughter to church, prayed with and for her, taught her about Jesus, read the Bible with her and tried to live it out on a daily basis.

I did my utmost to be present in her life and had tried to raise her as best I knew how.

Which left me with the nagging question: Wasn’t my love enough?

If my love was enough, surely she would never have wanted to leave her family, abandon her faith, and run headlong into the arms of a very broken world.

But the truth was that my love was not enough…and never would be.  

Because it was never about my love. It was about God’s love.

(Talk about an eye-opening revelation that cut straight through this Momma’s self-righteous heart!)

I had been given the privilege of raising this child, but saving her was something I could never possibly do.

I had put my confidence in my ability to parent and, ultimately, my works. Without realizing it, I had ignorantly missed the very truth that God wanted me to hang onto as a parent – He is sovereign.

Only God, through numerous demonstrations of His unfailing love, can save our children, pursue them with a divine passion that is eternal, and beckon their hearts with a mercy that invites them to surrender all.

Human love is wonderful, but it can only go so far. It can never save, provide, or comfort in the way that God can.

No matter how hard I loved my daughter, it was never going to be enough to save her. Only Jesus could do that.

And, the good news is, He did.

“I know that You can do anything and no plan of Yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2 CSB)

Until next time, Grace and Glory!