It was a nice day on October 18, 1994, when I went for a walk while waiting and praying for my first born to come. The due date was long past and the anticipation of holding my baby in my arms was motivating me to do all I could to encourage their coming! And it worked! Before that day came to a close, the Lord placed in my arms the most wonderful gift named Trace Randall Cronk. My son! And from that moment on, his life introduced to me all new graces, mercies, and expressions of God’s nature by his simply growing up into the 29-year old man he is today.
When you get chosen by God to be a mother, you get chosen by God to hold a place in that child’s life no one else can occupy; a place no one else holds such accountability in their life. They have a father, and some may have the blessing of siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and even the added blessing of friends that are like family. But God made mothers for a specific role in their child’s life that is so set apart, and so sacred to Him.
But as Trace took every step across the UTC platform this past Saturday at his college graduation, all I could think … all that I was able to silently and prayerfully acknowledge before God, as only a mother can, was his …
every steps.
the moment he toddled outside and picked up his first handful of snow
watching him learn how to peddle his bike
circling the bases on the ball field
running into Mimi’s house after a great day of fishing with Papaw
pouncing down the stairs on Christmas mornings with his sister
climbing the slides at the park
walking the aisle at church carrying the VBS flag
wandering through the house looking for me simply to be held
To now...
Striding across the platform as a confident and grateful graduate who is now receiving the recognition that hard work, discipline and sacrifice deserve.
This new now in his life is only the beginning to every step his future will require. He will be working for Abbott Medical Devices as a Clinical Specialist working with cardiologists in cardiac rhythm. And as he walked across that platform, I saw my baby, yes, but I also saw an adult.
A grown up.
A man.
And my heart was absolutely filled with praise for all God has done in shielding, protecting, guiding and directing his every step for …
all of his life!
Click on the IMG link below to see Trace walk across the platform 🙂
So, to all you mothers out there I just want to encourage you …
For all of your life and for all of your child’s life, God created a relationship between a mother and their child that is to be honored by both of you and by all. So, mothers, pray for your children every day and also pray everyone in their life that they, too, will honor and respect your relationship through their own words and actions.
And to you young adult children … As you spread your wings in living the life God’s sovereignty has in store for you, diligently keep God’s commandment to, “Honor your father and mother” Exodus 20:12, by guarding and upholding it in your heart. God specifically said, “father and mother” – Not grandfather and grandmother, not aunts and uncles, not brothers and sisters. Those are all sacred relationships as well, but in Exodus 20:13, one of His ten commandments, God speaks directly to all of us in how we are to honor and show respect to our father and our mother. No matter how old we are or they are, age has nothing to do with their honored position in our lives.
God has a specific promise when children of all ages live their lives showing honor to parents. How can they do this? Adult children honor their parents by loving them, respecting them, confiding in them when needed, being considerate of them, expressing appreciation for them, and demonstrating all of these things by following their counsel in righteousness and by obeying the commandments of God. What’s the promise to this command? One of a long and blessed life by God.
Parents, if you have an adult child, it’s time now to cut some apron strings. The most loving thing you can do is to not play the Holy Spirit in their life. Don’t try to still “parent them” by trying to control the decisions they make. If they want your opinion or advice, they will ask for it. And when they do, offer it kindly, not dogmatically.
And most importantly, pray for them, encourage and support them and always be there for them. But let them make their own life decisions and face the desirable or undesirable consequences of those decisions, and they will know that you love them unconditionally as they journey through life taking …
every step.
