There are moments as a parent when you realize your child is growing up, and sometimes it happens in the smallest details.
On Jaelyn’s first day of high school, I looked through the car window and saw her putting on mascara. I helped her step out of the car, took a few pictures, and tried to take in the moment for what it was. She was not a little girl getting ready for another ordinary school day. She was a freshman, stepping into a completely new season.
Then it was time for her to go.
As she rode away, she said, “I love you,” and waved the “I love you” sign out the window.
I could not hold back the tears.
She did not know. No one else was there to see it. But I was there, and Jesus was there.
In that quiet moment, He reminded me that He has her.
I could BREATHE.
As parents, we spend years trying to prepare our children for what is ahead. We teach, correct, encourage, pray, worry, protect, and sometimes probably hold on a little tighter than we realize. Then a day comes when we have to give them more room to walk into life for themselves.
High school brings new classrooms, new expectations, new friendships, and more responsibility. Jaelyn already has a lot of interests and opportunities in front of her. ROTC, Civil Air Patrol, unmanned aerial vehicles, youth group, missions, academics, and other things she enjoys and takes seriously. I have no idea which of those things will become a major part of her future and which ones God will simply use to prepare her for something else.
And I do not have to know.
Proverbs 3:5–6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
The Hebrew word translated “direct” is yashar, pronounced yah-SHAHR, and written יָשַׁר. It carries the idea of making something straight, right, or level. God does not always show us the entire road ahead. Often, He simply asks us to trust Him with the next part of it.
That promise is for her, but I realized that morning it was also for me.
She has a path to walk, and so do I.
Her path includes learning, growing, making decisions, discovering gifts, making mistakes, and becoming the young woman God is shaping her to be. Mine includes learning when to guide, when to speak, when to step back, and when to trust God with things I can no longer control.
That may be one of the harder parts of parenting.
We want our children to become independent, but when they actually begin stepping into that independence, something inside us wants to reach back for the little kid who still needed us for everything.
But they are supposed to grow.
One of the things I am most thankful for is that Jaelyn already understands the importance of prayer. She has become a prayer warrior in her own right, and of all the things she may learn during high school, I hope that continues to deepen.
There will be decisions I cannot make for her and situations I will not know about until later. I cannot walk every hallway with her, choose every friend, or protect her from every difficult moment.
But Jesus can go where I cannot.
He can speak when I am not there. He can give wisdom when she is unsure. He can protect, correct, strengthen, and guide her in ways I never could.
That is what He reminded me of as she rode away.
He has her.
That does not mean I stop being her dad. It does not mean I stop praying, guiding, or paying attention. It means I remember that I was never carrying her alone in the first place.
Sometimes faith looks like taking the next step.
Sometimes it looks like watching someone you love take theirs.
And sometimes it looks like standing there after they leave, wiping away a few tears, hearing God remind you that He has them, and finally allowing yourself to BREATHE.
Bible Promise
Proverbs 3:5–6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
God does not require you to see the entire road ahead. He asks you to trust Him with the people you love and the next step in front of you.
Reflection Questions
- Is there someone you love whom God is asking you to trust more fully into His care?
- What new season are you facing where you need to stop trying to see the entire road and simply trust God with the next step?
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for every season You allow us to walk through and for the people You have entrusted to our care. Help me know when to guide, when to encourage, and when to release what I cannot control into Your hands. Watch over our children as they grow, make decisions, face new challenges, and discover who You have called them to be. Give them wisdom, courage, discernment, and a heart that seeks You. When I am tempted to worry about the places I cannot go and the things I cannot see, remind me that You are already there. Help me trust that You have them, and teach me to breathe in the confidence of Your care.
I give You all honor, all the glory, and all of the praise. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen & Amen.