My son texted us at 4 a.m.

He was sick with a severe sore throat. OK, I thought. We can handle this minor long-distance emergency. Find a doctor in the area, send him the insurance information, make sure he has plenty of ibuprofen and fluids on hand.

Check.

Except for one little problem. He and his ministry team would be leaving at 6 a.m. in a van to travel 600 miles for their next mission trip, to an unfamiliar city where we don’t know where anything is.

Should he go? Should he stay home? Is it just a sore throat? Or something worse? Questions and potential plans swirled through my mind, and honestly, I didn’t have the right answer. We had to take a deep breath, pray, and make the best decision we could.

More importantly, I had to decide to give the situation to God and remind myself that He is indeed God.

Do I trust God to take care of my kids?

“Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands.” Deuteronomy 7:9 NLT

I love the above verse from Deuteronomy when I struggle to trust God with my kids. It holds two powerful promises we need. The first tells us that God is who the Bible says He is.

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The Lord your God is indeed God.

When we have a hard time trusting God and giving Him control of our circumstances - especially where our kids are concerned - we need this firm reminder. I can (sometimes) get carried away in my own thoughts, worrying and wondering what to do. I love it when God steps in and simply says, “I’ve got this.”

God keeps His promises for a thousand generations.

The second promise reinforces how much God loves and cares for our children, grandchildren, and generations to come. It provides hope and encouragement when uncertainty about their futures turns to fear. Oh, how God loves them! So much that he lavishes his love on us and assures us of His faithful care for our kids.

I needed this verse today. And if you did too, let’s stand together on the promises of Deuteronomy 7:9. Turning your child over to God may not be easy. Trusting God when it comes to my kids may be a daily renewal of my thought patterns. But He is faithful and His Word is the same yesterday, today, and every day of our children’s futures.

The off-white carpet reeked of spoiled milk and dog hair. Apple juice spills seemed to surface out of nowhere and never go away. Why would we buy a house with off-white carpet anyway? I chastised myself.

Now sitting here with my four-year-old boy and black labradoodle, this stay-at-home mom realized lighting another candle wouldn’t help. It came down to this. Either buy one more area rug to cover up the latest stain, or break down and clean the carpet. Knowing an area rug would only provide temporary relief, I surrendered and wagged out the heavy carpet shampooer.

Keeping the boy busy playing in his room and the dog outside gave me the space needed to turn this shabby living area back into a showplace. My excitement grew just thinking about it! Look at me. Super mom. It only took an hour, and just as I finished the final pass of hot steam revealing renewed flooring in all its glory, the unthinkable happened.

Hearing a scratch at the back door, my little helper darted from his room. Before I could stop him he opened the door, allowing a 70 pound crusher of dreams to bound through the living room.

Did I mention it was raining?

His muddy paws left trails every which way as I raced to catch him. My efforts were unsuccessful. By the time he settled down, I felt an anger bubble inside me unlike anything I’d ever felt.

And I screamed.

Not just any normal I’m-a-little-upset-at-you scream. This was the kind that forms deep in the gut and burns your throat as it comes out. The kind that makes you stop and look around to see who else is in the room. Because that couldn’t have been you.

“GO TO YOUR ROOOOOOOM!” I aimed my anger at my child who was just trying to help. And he obeyed.

Oh how I wish I could have that day back. Because in the quiet of the aftermath, I realized I just needed a moment in God’s presence to bring my perspective back to where it needed to be.

“Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” Psalm 84:10

The psalmist who wrote today’s verse knew the wonders of spending just a minute in the presence of the Lord. He compares one day with God to a thousand away from Him. This message speaks volumes to my guilty heart in a fresh new way today.

Life is filled with mistakes we wish we could take back. But God’s Word ushers in peace and grace right when we need it. One day - one minute - one moment at a time.

If one day with God will provide relief to last a thousand, how much will a single moment in his presence provide the peace we need to get through today’s challenges? So when life seems out of control and we struggle to hold it together, let’s remember this.

One minute in God’s presence will revive my withered perspective.

In the brief moment following the infamous scream incident, I reached out to God, and He met me there. His presence turned the whole atmosphere of our home into something new. Something a steam cleaner could never do. He renewed my withered perspective, and the rest of our day was filled with playing, hugging, loving, and living in His blessings.

What sweet, sweet restoration it was.

I still sometimes wish I could relive that day. Do it over with a changed vision and attitude. But I tell you this story today to offer hope.

I pray in these turbulent days you are able to find just one moment to be in His presence. Whether you’re at home attempting to keep the kids busy, an essential worker in need of rest, or an empty-nester longing for connection. One moment in His loving care is far better than a thousand anywhere else. One moment to embrace the grace to see us through.

Blessings,

Kristine