Read:
There's a pull every parent feels—the ache to make it better when their child is hurting. When a friendship falls apart. When they don't make the team. When fear starts to take over and you watch them shrink and start living small.
Maybe it's deeper than that. Maybe your kid is hurting because someone who should be present isn't. Maybe they process or experience the world differently than their peers because of a condition or a disability. Maybe someone has hurt them in a way no kid should ever be hurt.
And in all of it, it's so hard to know when to lean in and when to stand back. Am I helping or enabling? Am I giving them room to grow, or am I stepping back because I'm too overwhelmed to step in? There aren't clean answers, and you're not going to get every call right. After all, you're human.
But as a follower of Jesus, you have hope: you're not alone in this, and neither is your child. Psalm 55:22 says, "Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall."
It almost sounds too simple. Turn to God. Tell him what you're carrying. Hand it over, and trust that he's got you. That promise isn't only for you—it's for your child too. Give your child's burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of them. As hard as it is to believe, given how much you love your child, God loves them even more than you do.
Pray: God, help me remember that you love my kids more than I ever could—so I can bring their struggles to you and fully trust you with them. When I can't fix it, remind me that you're already holding it. Amen.