The Bigger, Better Plan

  • by Lee Ann Miller
  • December 10, 2012
  • 380
                        
Summary: Loving people sometimes asks us to let go. It asks us to do what is hard in order to accomplish what is right. There are dates that we all have engraved in our brains. My top five are my wedding date, my hubby’s birthday, and the date both of our boys were born. As I reflect on each snapshot in the calendar, I smile that all five dates are within a few months of each other. So, each year I am flipping through memories several months in a row. Now, after almost 22 years, our wedding date is even more significant. It tells of a bigger, better story and I am so very thankful for my husband. This year the birth dates of our children are milestones. We are a home with just teenagers and our oldest is hitting the eighteen-year-old mark. This morning it hit me like a cold splash of water; our oldest boy is crossing over into adulthood. The days are trickling away from us and my heart squeezes with a different kind of friendly ache. I know he will be leaving. I know he needs to walk through that large open door into the world. Recently I had a conversation with Teddy, Mr. Rookie Adult, about what it feels like to experience his walk into adulthood and college. I said as his parent, a part of me doesn’t want him to go. He’s bright and capable so surely he could get a decent job around here and live at home and we could keep him close and more to ourselves. I let Teddy know that we believe that scenario would be selfish love. As his Dad and Mom, we know he is made for more. We know he would benefit and grow tremendously from experiencing a bigger world. And by doing that, our world will benefit from his talents and gifts. So I told Teddy, that unselfish love says, Go. See the world. Make mistakes. Do your own laundry. Laugh with new friends. Explore. Travel. Fulfill God’s purpose and plan for your life. Be a gift to the world dear son. My mouth says all that and even though I know that it’s unselfish and right, it doesn’t stop the tug on my heart. It doesn’t make the future feel light and cheery. But, when I stop and scratch under the surface, doing the right things no matter how hard is just that- it’s right. There is strength, peace, and reward in doing what is right. There is honor to God, hope for the future and healthy love when I do what is right. And in the end, during that time when I am wrapping up my life, when I have let go of those treasured people in my world I will know that I haven’t lost, I just took a step aside for what is best for our kids and believed and trusted that God has a bigger, better plan for those He loves even more than me. Stik a Fork into honoring special dates, unselfish love and God’s plan.


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