During the summer before my sophomore year in college, I was invited to attend a youth event at a local church. I walked in with shaking knees and butterflies in my stomach, having never set foot in a church other than the one I grew up in. The worship music felt more like a rock concert, as opposed to the familiar acoustic rendition of “Here I am Lord,” and the preaching seemed casual but personal.
The pastor shared about Jesus in a way I never heard before, explaining our need for a Savior to cover the debt of our sin. Honestly, I was a bit relieved, because I thought “being good” was the only ticket to heaven, and I was pretty sure that I was a shutout. Hearing the opposite was indeed good news, and the promise of heaven lured me to the altar to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. My friends circled around me, and after the tears stopped streaming down my face, someone in the group declared we should go for ice cream as a way to welcome me to the family. Who knew ice cream was a way to celebrate such a moment!
I returned home that night eager to share the news with my parents, but they didn’t share in my friend’s enthusiasm. By morning, I heeded the parental advice to “forget about it” and move on…into the darkest and most destructive season of my life. But in His grace, God did not leave me or abandon me.
Sometimes what appears to be the end of the story is simply the end of a chapter.
God wasn’t yet done with the work He began in me. He’s not done with your child either. Whether you’re the mamma of a sleepless infant or a terrorizing toddler, a rambunctious kindergartener or whiny third grader, an awkward middle schooler or moody teenager, a reckless college kid or prodigal young adult.
God is not yet done, so don’t you quit either.
Don’t quit begging God for your child’s heart to turn to Him.
Don’t quit bruising your knees for their safety.
Don’t quit forgiving their every offense.
Don’t quit holding onto those healthy boundary lines.
Don’t quit loving from an overflow of His love.
Don’t quit pursuing God for the filling of grace you need.
Don’t quit, mama.
God isn’t done.
The Lord is always at work, even when we don’t see what He is doing, because He promises us that when He begins a good work, He will bring it to completion on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. PHILIPPIANS 1:6
God is always faithful. God is awesome and powerful. God is merciful and just. God is gracious and long-suffering.
God is writing your child’s story. He’s also writing yours. So may it be said of you:
She didn’t quit.
She clung to God.
She believed His Word.
She lived with unblinded faith, always.
Because there is more,
Elisa Pulliam
Curious as to how Elisa went from a girl turned away from God to living for Him? It's a great story that makes its way into Unblinded Faith: Gaining Spiritual Sight Through Believing God's Word.
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