Don’t Worry about Your Children

“When I approach a child, he inspires in me two sentiments; tenderness for what he is, and respect for what he may become.”

—LOUIS PASTEUR

And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure (cubit) to his stature or to the span of his life?

—Matthew 6:27

Some people feel if they don’t worry about their children, they are not good parents; however, the Bible teaches us worry is not God’s will and is useless. I believe worry is like rocking in a rocking chair. It keeps you busy, but gets you nowhere.

Do the best job you can to raise your children according to godly principles and leave the rest to God! When we worry, we show we don’t really trust God. We need to pray for our children and then cast our care on God.

I have four grown children who are all serving God, but I sure wasted a lot of time worrying when they were growing up. I wondered if a couple of them could even survive if they left home, but to my surprise, they did very well. Your children may be capable of more than you think they are. Don’t be afraid to let them spread their wings and try to fly solo at the right time.

Like most parents we had some kind of issue with each of our children. Two of them struggled getting through school, one was very messy, and another was an extreme perfectionist and put tremendous pressure on herself. The good news is they all made it and are doing fine. Some of them took a little detour and made some bad choices, but they learned from them and came full circle back to what they were taught. God’s Word states that if we train them in the way they should go, when they are old they will not depart from it (see Proverbs 22:6).

If you are concerned about one of your children, just cling to that promise I just mentioned. Worrying will only make you feel confused and complicate your life. It will not help your children, so why not put the energy you normally use on worry into believing God and watch Him work on your behalf?