Let Him Be The Grown-Up
Our stepmother stood glowering at my sister and I. “Do you mean to tell me that you don’t have a present for your dad on his birthday!?” She asked, incredulous.
I was seven and my sister was five. No one had told us that our dad’s birthday was this weekend. How were we supposed to buy him a present?
“How can you not have a gift? You know, it’s very inconsiderate of you not to buy something. You should have told your mom to take you to the store!”
My sister and I locked eyes. We knew this was ridiculous and there was nothing we could have done. So we just waited until our step-mom finished her rant and grudgingly conceded that we could sign her card.
This part of living in a divorce situation is probably one of the hardest: growing up too quickly. We are given responsibility that most other kids never have to shoulder. We learn very early on that our parents are just as human as we are, with real emotions and real faults. Furthermore, our parents’ disunity leaves us awkwardly in the middle and we feel the need to fend for ourselves.
Do you wish you could just be a kid and not have to worry about all these problems anymore? Well, God says there is a way. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28, 30
God wants to give us rest from the worry we hold. If you are “heavy laden,” go to the Father and lay your adult-sized burdens at his feet. He wants to replace your burden of worry with his easy yoke of peace.
Sure, the problems at home aren’t going to go away. But they won’t be yours anymore. God can handle the problems you have, if only you give them to him. Let God be the grown-up in your place.
- Aimee