“Have fun,” my husband encouraged as our oldest son grabbed his car keys.

As he headed out the door, I offered, “Be careful. There’s a lot of flash flooding from the storm.”

“I will. Love you! Bye…” his voice trailed off as he headed out the door to go to a weekly college campus Bible study.

“Love you, too, Son.”

I remained at the dining room table, considering our exchange.

My husband and I offered admonitions not out of an effort to frustrate or control our young adult son, but rather, out of our love and concern for him. We trust him to make good decisions and to act safely, and yet, we frequently give such sentiments of caution because at our age, we have more wisdom and experience to know potential problems before they occur. All in all, we caution and encourage because we want the best for him and his younger brother.

As I considered our verbal exchange, I sensed God sharing, “It’s the same with me.”

“Excuse me?” I answered silently in prayer.

“I speak to your heart, and I’ve spoken for years through my Word.”

I started to understand His point.

“I don’t say, ‘Be anxious for nothing,’ or ‘Be still,’ or tell you that ‘in this world you will have trouble…’ or to ‘be thankful for everything’ in an effort to frustrate you or impose rules on you. First and foremost, I gave you free will. But I give you such instructions because I love you and I know what is best for you.”

Hmmm. I considered His point.

I think sometimes there is a tendency for our growing children to think we are overly cautious or that we delight in restricting their freedom or that we get some pleasure in the harsh conversations or rules we invoke. Yet, our concern as their parents is to guide them along the path that is best for them. They don’t yet have the experience or the wisdom that only comes from experience, to know what they don’t know.

That causes me to pause and wonder how often we look at Scripture and God’s instruction, and yet, we so often go our own way, assuming we know what’s best for our lives.

The truth of God’s word explains that God has already given us everything we need for life and Godliness (2 Peter 1:3). His word commands, encourages, and explains all we need for making right choices and living a God-fearing life.

Scripture also declares that those who will trust in the Lord will not be disappointed (Romans 10:11 NASB). Part of trusting is being obedient to what He has shown and told us. When we follow His mandates and live in His will, He will reward that, and He will bestow on us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4). Simply because He loves us.

So, as we read His word, we can imagine Him as a loving Father who declares over each of us, “Be careful. Have fun. I love you.”

Because of Him, #HopePrevails!

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