Daily
Devotional

In 1969, my husband and I decided we would like to have a daughter. We already had a wonderful young son, and thought a daughter would make a nice addition to our family.

We contacted the county in which we lived and submitted an adoption application to get things rolling. In the meantime, we were praying that God would provide us with the baby girl He wanted us to have. Exactly nine months later, we were called to meet with the Department of Adoptions and see the baby girl they had for us. What a thrill it was when we saw our little daughter for the first time!

As the years sped by, she was a good child and easy to raise. However, we moved to another city before she entered junior high school, and things started to change. She became rebellious and refused to obey the rules of the house. She would run away from home and stay out all night long.  

As a mother, I was torn apart. On the nights when she did not come home, I would pray and cry out to God for most of the night. After this problem had been going on for a while, I finally realized that I had to put her wholly in God’s hands. As soon as I gave her to God, He lifted the heavy burden that had been on my heart.  

It can be hard for us to “let go,” but when we do, the Lord picks up that heavy load. We might question the decisions we make during hard times, but we need to remember that God knows the end from the beginning, and if we put our total trust in Him, He will help us to do the right thing. Our daughter is older now, and we praise God that she has truly turned out to be a wonderful daughter.

One hymn that we sing often in our church is, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” The song asks, “Can we find a friend so faithful, Who will all our sorrows share?” The last verse ends with, “Thou wilt find a solace there.” These words are so true! We can take even our deepest grief and heartaches to Him, and He will bear those burdens for us.