I had no idea how hard it would be to watch him walk away. In all the years of raising my son, I never thought about how painful it would be when he left home. A delight in our home, and the maker of many a “family chuckle,” his mere presence would be deeply missed as he began a new life 1500 miles from home.

This.

This is what we’ve raised him for, for the last 19 years: to give him wings to not only fly (figuratively and literally in his case as he pursues a career as a pilot), but to soar. To follow the dream God instilled in his heart, and watch him make his way in the world.

But part of my heart breaks and goes with him. I wasn’t prepared for that. I’m still not, 24 hours after he’s left home with a moving van full of furniture. I’m not sure I ever will be.

“We love you. We’re proud of you. We’re praying for you.” Those were the last words we said to him as we nudged him “out of the nest” and encouraged him to fly on his own. They are the same words that will forever echo in our hearts for him no matter how old he gets.

Following the recent death of Senator John McCain, his 106-year-old mother was reported to say that, “losing a child is hard, even if the child is 81.”

But I have to wonder…if I feel this heartbroken at sending my son out into this world, how did God feel sending His son, Jesus, into the world as a man, knowing how he would be treated, knowing He would ultimately die for the very ones He came to save? To save me, and my son.

If that doesn’t break your heart, and show you the depths of everlasting love, I don’t know what will.

I suspect God’s final words to Jesus before sending Him to live on earth as a man were similar to ours to our son: “I love you and I’m proud of you!”

And because of the work and ministry of Jesus, and His finished work on the cross, God’s words to us are the same: “I love you. I’m proud of you. I am praying for you (Through the Holy Spirit)!”

I’m grateful neither my pilot son, nor we go alone, but God is always with him looking out for him and us. And I’m grateful that His plan for him (and us) is good and includes a future and a hope!

We entrust our son to Him who loves and cares even more about him than we do.

Because of Him, #HopePrevails!

Hope Prevails Book and Hope Prevails Bible Study {hope for overcoming depression}

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Hope Prevails: Insights From a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression and the new companion Hope Prevails Bible Study help the reader understand how depression comes to be, recover their joy, reclaim their peace, and re-establish their true identity, while knowing their worth, remembering their secure destiny, and being confident that nothing separates them from God’s love.

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