To Whom He Belongs

The big yellow school busses are rolling past my house, mapping out routes and training new bus drivers. As they rumble past, I flash back to my eldest son getting on the bus for the first time as a five-year-old. He was so excited for his first day of kindergarten. I was excited too, but also sad. Our days together were cut in half. But it was good. He made new friends and grew in independence. It was really my first step in letting go.

Now he’s a senior. He is excited this year too, with high expectations for himself and an optimistic view of his future. How his world will change in the next twelve months! I find myself sitting back, watching him navigate life. He is independent, able to make his own decisions. I need to let go, to spend more time watching rather than doing…to savor this year.

As I sat writing last night, he poked his head into my office to say good night. “If you’re almost done, I’d like to pray with you.”

Our nightly prayers have become a conclusion to the day I do not like to miss. Even though my boys are teenagers, closing their day in prayer with my husband or me is important to them. I can’t say I didn’t feel a tug at my heart when I thought of the following fall when my son will be away at school. I’m not so naïve that I don’t realize his life will change. He’ll make choices I may not agree with and participate in activities I may not approve of, but he will never be alone. I’ve made it a point to remind my children when they leave the house, “Remember your name and to Whom you belong.” Now I need to remind myself. My son belongs to the Most High, the One who loves him even more than I do, the One who laid his very life down for him.

As I sat on the edge of my son’s bed, listening to his prayers, my heart was content. God has called my son to be his own. My prayer is that he will always listen for the Still Quiet Voice of the Holy Spirit to guide him and remind him to Whom he belongs.

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5b