Last week, I got one of those early morning calls from my daughter, who was miles away at a summer program. The thing is, when your children are far from home, any call can feel like a crisis. It doesn’t matter if it’s just ‘The Wi-Fi is sketchy’ or ‘I think I twisted my ankle. In a mother’s heart, every cry for help from our children, no matter how small, feels like an apocalypse.
So, there I was, spiraling down a worry rabbit hole, obsessing over ways to solve her problem. I could no longer focus on my day as the weight of her call continued to get heavier in my heart with every passing minute. Finally, just before bedtime, I heard from her again, and what do you know? Her problem had sorted itself out only 30 minutes after our first call.
Wait, what?
You’ve been fine for hours while my entire day got hijacked by worry?
Welcome to the rollercoaster of parenting from afar.
With the relief came an “aha” moment.
I’d been so tangled up in my daughter’s dilemma that I neglected to use the superpower every parent has – prayer.
I was gripping her issue so tightly that I forgot not every issue is mine to fix.
Even as much as I want to.
Sound familiar?
As parents, friends, and mentors, we often feel we need to put on a cape and become superheroes for the people we care about. One distress call can send us down a spiral of worry, and suddenly, peace checks out.
Here’s a different way to look at it: maybe we’re not supposed to be superheroes.
Perhaps we’re meant to be couriers.
Think FedEx.
Instead of clutching onto the heavy boxes of worry that our loved ones hand us, we should be getting them delivered to the one who can handle it all – God.
Just like FedEx doesn’t warehouse parcels but makes sure they arrive at their designated location, our task is to receive these symbolic packages of stress and fear, then expedite them directly to God, with no detours allowed.
The next time you are handed a package, a cry for help, remember to pick it up gently, handle it with prayer, and pass it to the One who has the power and wisdom to handle it. Your ultimate responsibility isn’t always to solve the problem but to ensure it reaches the One who can.
It will not only bring peace to those you love but will also lighten your own heart.
True miracles occur when the package/burdens we carry for others are placed in God’s hands.
You’re not a storage unit; you’re a delivery van.
Give it to God and go in peace.
