Tim Keller, the wonderful pastor and Bible teacher has said, “You are only as strong as your weakest child.”
As the parent of adult children, I could not agree with him more. I have the delight of having six children (4 are adults). I know that this is not normal today but trust me, I consider it a great gift. I am a wealthy man because of them. They are my wealth! I will have my sixth grandchild soon and I am praying for thirty!
But one of them is not walking with God and it tears me apart every day. I wake up and begin thinking about her and thankfully, I have learned to turn this anxiety into prayer and give her to God. Once I do this each day I have peace.
My other five are walking with God and I thank God for them every day. The two that are married (so far) have wonderfully godly wives that I am very thankful for. But my heart sinks when I think about my lost lamb. She is a wonderful person but that beauty is fading as she continues to stay away from the one whose loves her. God loves her but her wandering is having an effect on her. It is changing her in ways that are not beautiful. I am speaking about the beauty of character and of her principles and countenance. People walking with God radiate. The joy upon them is evident. My precious daughter no longer radiates that special presence of him who loves her.
One day, I know she will return to him. But the wait is agonizing. Love is painful sometimes. It is not yet perfected in us. We must endure heartache occasionally as we wait for the answers to our prayers. I will not give up. It may take me a life time of prayer to see my daughter return to him but I know that one day she will.