He is With Us

Parents, if you have ever struggled with feeling alone in your parenting journey, I encourage you to consider reading through Romans.

In chapter 8 Paul talks about being delivered from our bondage and our victory in Jesus. Paul says, "The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him" (vss. 16-17). In essence, the Holy Spirit is a personal character witness that we are the children of God. That is an intimate level of knowledge. When we cry out to him as demonstrated in verse 15, the Holy Spirit is our Witness that we have the right to call him such an intimate name as 'Abba.'

A few verses later Paul further doubles down on the role the Holy Spirit plays in our lives. "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words" (vs.26). Even when we can't cry out "Abba," the Holy Spirit cries out for us. The implications of this are astronomical in general, but when we apply it to parenting it becomes all the more poignant in our tough seasons.

When we are intentional about parenting and intentional about discipling our kids it is not an easy journey. But we were never guaranteed an easy journey as followers of Christ. Earlier in Romans Paul said, "but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (5:3–5). The choice of words here is very important because it implies an expectation of suffering. But out of that suffering comes our hope which is solely based in our reconciliation to God the Father through Jesus Christ.

It's not a stretch to say there are times in in our parenting journeys that we suffer for many reasons. It's during those times (as well as the good times!), that we can celebrate in our suffering because our hope is in Jesus alone. Now, the tendency here is to be skeptical of what celebrating and suffering looks like. It's not necessarily throwing a party because your kid is straying, your neurodivergent kid is struggling to make friends, or your high schoolers struggling with addiction. The celebration is a thankfulness that, though our kids/we are struggling, we have a God who loves us so intimately and is right there with us in the trenches. We are NEVER alone because we have the Holy Spirit who testifies for us, witnesses for us, and groans for us in those tough moments. The moments when we don't have words and can't fully express the struggles we are going through...the Holy Spirit speaks for us.

When we have a moments on our journeys when the Enemy lies telling us we're alone, no one is with us, or no one understands what we're going through, let's remember this one thing: the Holy Spirit is always with those who are adopted through Jesus Christ. We are never alone. Let's go to the Father and be honest with our struggles. And when we do not have words go to him anyway and let the Holy Spirit speak on our behalf.

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1 Pet. 5:6–11).

That is not a distant God who is not intimately involved in our lives. He is with us and loves us. We are never alone.