Letting go........

Let me describe to you the home of parents of a small person. There is a stair gate at the top of the stairs to stop them falling down, and another at the bottom of the stairs to stop them climbing up perchance they should fall down that way also. Every cupboard in the kitchen has one of those annoying kiddie safety catches that we, as adults, cannot open without scraping our knuckles, but the kids can get open in a trice. All items that could be vaguely dangerous to a small person have been elevated to a suitable height, all sharp corners covered and every door in house has one of those foam whatsits that stops the door from shutting and squashing precious fingers. Each plug socket has one of those annoying covers on it to stop small people poking their fingers in or Mum from hoovering because she can’t get the flaming things out again without using a kitchen knife! Equally so the car is full of safety seats and the childlock is on the windows and the doors. There are even more electronic sophisticated systems in place inside the home, watching the small person as it sleeps, in the next room!

Outside of the home the parents of a small person are employing every tactic they can to ensure the safety of their precious bundle, strapping them into their buggies and car seats and when they learn to walk insisting that hands are held (or if not employing the use of a kiddie lead). Teaching the small person how to cross the road safely, stressing how they should never stray from the sight of their grown up, tactically explaining to them how they shouldn’t talk to strangers.

And then comes that fateful day, when kiddie locks won’t hold them anymore, life seems to be continually bumping into them, your car seat is what they are looking forward to sitting in as they learn to drive the car themselves and they are more than capable of taking the cover off the plug, but not doing the hoovering!

This is the day when you hit your knees and with your heart in your mouth you pray -

“Lord, I have done all these things to protect my child, there is nothing more I can do, she 16 now, a young woman, and the kiddie lead is being strained so badly it’s going to snap any minute. Lord PLEASE look after her for me. I place her firmly in your hands. I pray I have done enough. I pray that all you asked me to do for her, all you asked me to teach her and show her, everything good that I have planted in her will now grow and help her mature into the beautiful person you planned her to be. Father I pray that she too one day will be praying this prayer, after protecting and loving her own small person and that she will remember the loving protection and guidance that I too remember from my own wonderful mum. Thank you for blessing us with such a beautiful child, I’m going to be brave and take a step back now, trusting that you Lord will take a step forward and guide her now. I love You. Amen”

Parents of small people, no matter how small they are, look after them, enjoy every moment, treasure them and teach them well. 16 years ago, whilst holding my brand new small person, I never dreamt that this day would come. Look out world, here comes our beautiful daughter Molly Dryden! May God bless you in all that you do my precious small person. We love you and will always be there for you.

“Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of your house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.” Colossian 3:15-17 The Message