Guest Post: Release Them to God

I always know where the exits are located.

I don't sit with my back to the door in a public place and

I make it a point to remain aware of my surroundings at all times.

From the time my firstborn was toddling around I began teaching him

how to stop, drop, and roll and how to cover his neck if a dog attacks.

Yes, I know – they have a pill for this affliction.

Yet, I've traveled at every opportunity both near and even half way across the globe

I don't live in fear – I simply like to be prepared!

That same uber sense of awareness which gives me the confidence to embrace adventure

translates into parenthood a bit differently.

If I'm not extremely careful – I can become a wee bit over protective.

(shhhhhhh – don't tell anyone)

firstborn son

The moment I first looked down at the tiny baby in my arms

I could hardly breathe.

It literally took my breath away

The overwhelming sense of responsibility and fierce protective instinct

kicked into high gear immediately!

You know – God really does have a sense of humor

here's the proof in living color:

That's my firstborn baby boy

God gave me three of them

. . . . . . . and he's my most cautious!

Talk about throwing me right into the deep end!

I figured out pretty early on that unless I learned to trust God with my boys

. . . . . . . well, I wasn't going to make it!

There was one time in particular when I had to put my money where my mouth is.

He was barely five years old and hadn't felt very well.

We were planning to leave for family vacation and he begged to go to

the Walmart with me to do the “vacation shopping”

I, being the protective mother and all, took his temperature

It was normal and he promised me that he was feeling much better

So, I headed off to the store with two kids in tow

The first thing we did was turn the car in for a needed oil change

Within a few minutes – he started shivering all over

I realized his temperature was rapidly rising

I pulled Tylenol off the shelf for him and immediately headed back to try to get my car

The word “seizure” went through my head

I asked an employee for help – as panic started to set in

I pulled everything out of my cart and told them I had to leave

“we were having an emergency”

I carried my son quickly to the car

(To this day, I use a fake name at Walmart because I'm certain

they think I am a crazy woman )

I didn't get even a full mile down the road when I looked in my rear-view

in time to see his little eyes roll back in his head

He began to seize violently, I'd never seen anything like it

I couldn't breathe

Moms know, when you see a potentially life threatening situation with your child

the rest of the world STOPS turning

I managed to get the vehicle to the side of the road while dialing 911

It's as clear as if it happened yesterday – every word from my mouth . . . . .

I went from talking to the 911 operator, to talking to my son, to praying right out loud

and then back through the same cycle several times over.

“Dear God help my baby!”

He was still seizing when they put him into the ambulance

but it wasn't until I was expected to take my hands off of him and leave him there that I had

a full understanding of what it means to “release him to God”

In order to get him to the hospital I had to leave him in their care and get back into

my car with the other baby and drive there

I'm sure it was only minutes- seconds even

but in that time I knew I would either completely loose it – or I would turn him over to

the One who created him.

I bowed my head and thanked God for the opportunity of being his mother

I asked Him to take care of my son

then I acknowledged that he was not mine at all – that I had no right

I relinquished my will in that brief moment

and bowed willingly before the thrown of my King.

“Not my will, but Yours God”

“Not my life, it's Yours”

“Not my child, he is Yours”

I was filled with the peace that passes all understanding.

When I left him – he was still seizing.

Within 10 minutes my phone rang

It was my son – calling from the ambulance- he was speaking and answering questions

(believe me, I was asking them)

No brain damage

In the book How to Have a HEART For Your Kids Rachel Carman says

“I believe in a big God. I believe in a God who grants the desires of hearts yielded to Him –

those who dream big, God – sized dreams”

If your hearts desire is truly yielded to Him then you want nothing but what He has for you.

His will is your hearts desire

There is no where more difficult to live that out loud – than when it comes to your children.

How to Have a HEART for Your Kids Button

She delves so much further into releasing your children to God and what that looks like in a

day to day scenario. Daring to dream for your kids, guarding that vision, covering them in

prayer and then trusting God with their lives are just a few of the topics covered in

Chapter 4 alone. I may have passed muster over the course of the hour or so during

our crisis – this book has helped me learn how to really live that kind of faith daily.

Psalm 127: 3-4

“Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children are a reward from him,

Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth,

Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.”

With the Lord's help, I may manage to survive my three after all!

I want you to know true peace in your life – I want you to live that out loud with your kids

I'll be practicing these principles right along with you – I may need some reminders here

and there along the way – but I'm convinced, there is no better place for us to be than in the

center of His will

– no matter what that may look like!

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