Parenting through Heartache
Parenting is never easy, but parenting through heartache is a whole new level of hard. Dawn shares more in this post.
“Be Strong and Courageous. Do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6
As a parent, I never imagined that I would have to tell my 9 year old daughter that one of her best friends lost her mother.
I was immediately praying and talking to God about how to navigate my little girl’s emotions. It took me almost two days to tell her. I didn’t know how. So I went to the only source that made sense: Jesus.
Let’s Back Up
Just a little backstory. I met my sweet friend 9 years ago. Three days before I went in to give birth to my daughter, Ariya.
She came to my place of work for an interview. We quickly became friends and she gained a great connection to all of my kids. We gave her the title of Godmother to Ariya and she took her role extremely seriously. There is nothing that she wouldn’t do for my daughter.
Just over a year ago she moved out to where my family lived and started her life fresh. She married my kids’ old Children’s pastor and became stepmom to a sweet 9 year old girl. Naturally, my 9 year old and her 9 year old became good friends.
Related Post: Stillness in Rushing Waves of Grace
When Tragedy Strikes…
The day after Christmas our girls and their friend were sitting on my living room floor in the midst of chaos. 4 sets of parents, 11 children, 3 dogs and a cat. It was just the three of them playing in their own world. As innocent as they come. They didn’t have a care in the world…. Not until the tragedy of one of them unexpectedly losing a mother.
What I wasn’t expecting was how she would react when I had to leave the house. The fear of her losing me was written all over her face, in her tone, and in her comment. She said “Well Mommy, you don’t have to leave. You can stay here with me.”
My heart was focused on how my daughter would be the friend that her best friend needed during this dark time. Now, I’m asking God, “Lord, what do I need to be for Ariya?”
Related Post: Only Jesus Can Heal the Pain in My Aching Heart
Parenting through Heartache
I know that His promise to go before me and to never leave me is something I can count on. And I found myself even knowing the truth, asking how I can count on God to never let my daughter, especially at this age, feel like she is alone in this world. I know that God is with her but my mother’s heart is human.
Praying through the heartache and parenting through the heartache is one of the hardest things that I have had to face. Grieving for a little girl who has lost her world. Trying to ensure to another that God is her source. That He will never leave or forsake her on a level that her little heart will understand.
A Bible Study for Teen Girls
If God is For Me…
The Bible says that God is for us… but what does that mean? Have you ever stopped to wonder that? Or maybe you’ve questioned that if God was really for us, why do bad things happen? Or if God is for us, shouldn’t He want us to be happy? And what about free will? In this Bible study for teen girls, Heather Hart addresses all those issues and more.
