Recently our family snuggled up on the couch to watch the latest episode of the witty and charming show Bluey. We dabbed at our tears as Bluey and her sister Bingo grappled with moving from their beloved family home to a new place. In the episode, an old Chinese parable is told and it goes something like this:
A farmer has a horse who runs away. The neighbors all say, “What bad luck!” The farmer replies, “We’ll see. Who knows?” Then the horse returns with three other horses and the neighbors all exclaim, “What good luck!” The farmer replies, “We’ll see. Who knows?” The story goes on in this fashion. Eventually the farmer’s son rides one of the horses and breaks his leg, to which the neighbors declare bad luck. Again, the farmer says, “Who knows?” In the end, the farmer’s son is saved from being drafted from the war due to the broken leg, to which the farmer says, “We’ll see. Who knows?”
The Reason for Our Trust in God
Instead of “Who knows?” Christians say, “God knows.” God knows our stories because he is writing them. God is the author of our salvation. He created this beautiful world, including humans (who messed it all up with sin), but he did not leave it that way. He sent his Son to redeem all of his children by dying for our sins. Therefore, we can hold the view of the farmer—who knows?—not stoically, but with trust.
Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him.” Think of the life story of Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers. God used Joseph’s tragedy to save Egypt during a famine. Even more amazing, God orchestrates his purpose in a situation that seemed full of despair through his own son’s death on the cross. The men closest to Jesus, his disciples, could not understand what was happening when their king died- but God knew. He had a reason and a redemptive story for the whole world in letting Jesus suffer.
The Challenges We Face Trusting God
We cannot see the whole picture when we are walking through tough things, but God can. In parenting the future can look bleak when our children grapple with chronic illness, trauma, or special needs. God holds each of our children’s hands. He knows why he is allowing hard times. Reminding myself of these truths gives me comfort when my rising middle school daughter is caught in a devastating lie or my son ends up in the emergency room with a broken arm. It frees me as a parent to entrust my children to the one who made them and wrote their entire life story.
I recently finished a Bible study on Amos. In it, the author shares a conversation she had with her niece, who was reading a story about a horse named Misty. The author told her niece she did not like books about animals because generally the animals got lost or died. Her niece replied, “Well, Aunt Jennifer, I’m not afraid to read it because the horse is the narrator. If the horse is the narrator, then the book will end OK.”
God is the narrator of our lives. He knows how all the chapters in our stories, even the extremely difficult ones, tie together to tell his story. His story is being written for each of us who have placed our trust in him, and for each of us who trust him with our children’s stories.
Leading Our Children to Trust God
As a parent of three young children, I am gifted peace in knowing that God knows the ultimate outcome of my life and the lives of the children I love so very much. When one of them gets hit in the face with a baseball, or gets made fun of at school, or even when tragedy strikes, I can say, “He knows.” Life is saturated with pain and hurt and navigating the struggles with our children is difficult.
This past Easter, we had a family member pass away. She was a dear aunt to me, a sister to my mother, an incredible wife, a mother to four grieving children, and a “Loli” to six grandsons. She died after a long, hard battle with painful cancer.
At the funeral, my six-year-old daughter handed me a tissue and asked me, “Mommy, are those sad tears or happy ones?” I pondered what to say. I looked into my sweet little girl’s face and smiled and told her they were joy-filled tears. She smiled back and said, “Like me!” Her name is Joy, and she lights up every time she hears the word.
To be honest, my tears were sad for me and my family because we will miss my aunt, but joyful for her, because she is with Jesus and has “no more pain, or tears” (Rev. 21:4). She knew who wrote her story and clung to him, even in pain. My aunt often asked, “I wonder what God is up to?” when life threw her and her or her loved ones difficulties. God is always up to something, even when we cannot see it.
Hebrews 12:2 says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus wrote our story and endured the ultimate hardship—death on the cross—for the glory of offering us all the eternal joy that is in heaven. As parents we want the story of our lives, and the lives of our children, to be directed by the God who has written the perfect story for each of us, one that includes the ultimate happy ending in eternal life with him.
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