Parenting With Purpose
As a single parent, it seemed the challenges never stopped, until. Until I surrendered my life, all of it, to Jesus and gave Him control. I wish I could tell you that was it, but that was the beginning of a very long journey. The gracious Holy Spirit worked with me a little bit at a time until He had all of me.
My first lesson centered on the provision of God. As a single mom, I felt the need to provide everything my children needed. I worked one job and considered working a second job and even a third. That still small voice I have come to love let me know I could do that, and my children would grow up with what they needed, but I would not know them when they grew up. God’s Word tells me He will provide all our needs according to His riches in glory. And He never stops providing.
My second lesson focused on the protection of God. Worry and anxiety visited me often and became good friends. One day, while going to the park, I learned to let go of worry and embrace the ever-abiding protective presence of God. As one of my girls got off her bike, she began to walk on the outside of a bridge that towered several feet in the air. As I called her to go back, her foot slipped. Catching my breath and running towards her, she regained her footing. That night, while thanking God for protecting her, He said to me, “You cannot be everywhere, but I can! You can trust me with your children. I love them more than you do.”
My third lesson seemed to come around every day. My conversations with God became frequent and personal. Some call it prayer, but for me, God stepped in as my Father. In my times of prayer, an element crept in that caused my prayers to be at the least, not pleasing to God, and at the worst, unbelieving. That unwanted element was fear. The Lord taught me through His Word to pray by faith, asking in faith, receiving in faith, and believing by faith. Fear left, and my time with God grew.
As parents, as a single parent, we must relinquish control and give our lives and our children’s lives to the One who knows us best. Give yourself permission to be the best parent because you are giving your best to God. He wants to be your Provider, your Protector, and your Prayer partner.
Happy Mother’s Day, and may the Lord bless you on this day!
Dr. Michele Morgan
