Fathers and Mothers: Devotions from Time of GraceNäide

Parenting: You Have Backup By now you’ve watched enough TV cop shows to know that an officer should never go into a dangerous building alone. Always call for backup. How can a parent ever fully relax? When your kids are little, they are vulnerable to a thousand dangers and risks, from SIDS to choking to falling down the stairs. But the risks are just as big when they are high schoolers and go out on the streets by themselves. What parent of teenagers hasn’t worried about automobile accidents, alcohol, and drugs? Once Jesus scolded his disciples for brushing off the importance of children. In that rebuke is a marvelous comfort for every Christian parent: “See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:10). Did you catch the significance? You have backup! God’s powerful angels have specific personal assignments, and they know the names and whereabouts of the little ones at all times. They must report to the Father and have all of his authority and power behind them. Someday, when we're in heaven, God may choose to tell us how many hair-raising disasters his invisible agents averted. Maybe we’ll get to meet the angels who watched over our kids. I hope so--I’ve got a big load of thanks to deliver.