Perhaps one of the hardest things as a parent is watching my children struggle. I want to rush in and help with all of their problems, but I also know that they have to work through the process to experience the growth. I can’t imagine how Joseph’s father must have grieved for a son that he thought had met a tragic end and how proud he must have been of how his son endured years of adversity.
Genesis 45:4-7
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.”When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
I wish that I could shortcut the process for all that I love. My heart breaks when I see my children or family members struggle. My natural inclination is to take action and to spare them their struggles. However, I am also aware that many amazing men and women of faith bear testimony like Joseph. They can tell you that their adversity was part of what God was doing in their life. As opposed to being absent, God was omnipresent. Sparing them from the struggle would have also spared them from growing stronger and from being a blessing. If I hate watching my own children go through hard times to mature into adults, how much more painful it must be for my Heavenly Father to watch us during our difficult times.
Heavenly Father, when I watch my children struggle, please give me the wisdom to know how to help them become who you want them to be. I am amazed by a God who is ever with us in the midst of our struggles and works all things to the good for those that love Him. Amen.