God’s Grace for Moms
By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
2 Peter 1:4
Since my apology to my son that I mentioned in day one’s devotional, I’ve had to apologize again. I’m not surprised about this, given that I am a work in progress. Each time I think I’ve arrived at a point in my motherhood journey that I feel some level of confidence in what I am doing, things change again. These moments remind me anew of my desperate need for God’s unending grace.
That’s really what we need, isn’t it? Parenting adult children well is not something we can do out of our own ability. No matter how much resolve we may muster up, we’ll still stumble and fall. No matter how good our motives are or how deep our love for our children is, we will fail them, disappoint them, and struggle to adjust to changes in our relationships with them. That’s why we need help from outside ourselves.
All That We Need
But there’s good news! 2 Peter tells us that God has “granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” All things. John Calvin describes this “all things” as “God has copiously unfolded the immense resources of his power.” The Greek word used for ‘granted’ means to “bestow gratuitously.” God freely, graciously, and abundantly gives us everything we need to live out the call God has given us as mothers of adult children. He calls us to this next season of motherhood and then equips us for it.
How does that work? As believers who by faith trust in Christ as our Savior, we have the Spirit of Christ living within us who encourages, equips, convicts, and comforts us. The same Spirit who hovered over the waters at Creation is at work in our hearts. The same Spirit who burst on the scene at Pentecost in the book of Acts enables us to do all that we need to do to live for the glory of Christ as moms of adult children. Matthew Henry commented on this passage that “Knowledge of God, and faith in him, are the channel whereby all spiritual supports and comforts are conveyed to us.” Because we know God and are known by Him, we have access by the Spirit to be and to do all that God calls us to.
Lean on the Lord
So, when we don’t know what to say to a daughter when she is struggling with a big decision in her life, we pray to the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom to encourage her. When we worry about the future of our adult son, we pray and seek the Spirit’s comfort and encouragement to trust what God is doing. When we fail to say or do the right thing in our parenting, we listen to the Spirit’s conviction and respond in repentance. When we struggle in this season of change in our life, when we grieve the losses of the past, when we fear the unknown future, we rest in the comfort of the Spirit who reminds us that our Savior knows and understands our griefs and sorrows. He is the Man of Sorrows who took our suffering, sin, and sorrow so seriously that He came to die for us. He came to unite us with Himself. He came to make us His own. He is our “refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Ps. 46:1).
Dear moms of adult children, all of us in this season of life are in the same place. We all feel big things. We all struggle with the changes in our lives. We all make mistakes as we navigate it. This season reminds us all the more that apart from Christ, we can do nothing (John 15:5). We need God’s grace to carry us and sustain us. Let us yield to the work of the Spirit in this season. Let’s lean on the Lord and draw from His grace. May this season draw us all the more near to our Lord as we find Him to be faithful and steadfast in grace.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
What does it mean to you that God generously gives you what you need to navigate life with adult children? How can you yield to and rely upon the Spirit today?
PRAYER
Father in heaven, I come before You today very aware of my need for You and Your grace. I thank You that You are not stingy but are generous to me. Give me grace to navigate this season well and for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Christina Fox received her undergraduate degree from Covenant College and her master’s in counseling from Palm Beach Atlantic University. She is a retreat speaker, content editor for enCourage, and the author of multiple books, including Closer Than a Sister: How Union with Christ Helps Friendships to Flourish, Idols of a Mother’s Heart, and Like Our Father: How God Parents Us and Why That Matters for Our Parenting. She also works in alumni relations for Covenant College. Christina prefers her coffee black and from a French press, and enjoys antiquing, hiking, traveling, and reading. She lives in Chattanooga with her husband, where they are empty nesters. You can find her at @christinarfox.
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Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.
