A WORD FOR TODAY, May 8, 2023
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, May 8, 2023
“But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have told you these things, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I don’t go away, the Counselor won’t come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. When he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment; about sin, because they don’t believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to my Father, and you won’t see me any more; about judgment, because the prince of this world has been judged. I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now. However when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak from himself; but whatever he hears, he will speak. He will declare to you things that are coming. He will glorify me, for he will take from what is mine, and will declare it to you. All things that the Father has are mine; therefore I said that he takes of mine and will declare it to you” John 16:5-15, WEB
We are approaching the end of another school year and many students are making decisions about their future. Seniors are preparing to graduate and move on to a new phase in life. Some will pursue continuing education while others will take jobs in the workforce. At graduation, every student must leave the safe environment of school and step into a whole new world. Many young people will also need to move away from home, leaving behind family and friends to begin a new life.
This is a difficult time for parents as well as their children. It is hard to let go of our children, to let them grow up and begin lives of their own. We can’t help our children through troubled times or protect them from the bad things of this world if they are living hundreds or thousands of miles away. We must trust that we have guided them onto a right path and that they will remember the lessons of life we’ve taught them over the years. They do not go unarmed. As parents, we spend their early years nurturing them, giving them whatever they need to one day set out on their own. We send them with our love. The difficulty in letting go is often our own fear that we have failed to prepare them. Though we may not always see it, those life lessons become a part of their lives and our children hold on to them as they venture into the world. We raise them to become independent, but that doesn’t make it any easier.
If we have done our job well, our children will leave home and begin life anew. The same thing is true for Jesus and His disciples, except it was not the children leaving, but their Master. It was necessary for Him to finish His work on earth and ascend to heaven so that the disciples could receive the Holy Spirit, because only the power of the Spirit could complete the work in them to know and understand enough to continue His work in the world. He spent three years teaching them about the Kingdom of God, but it would not become real to them without the Holy Spirit.
We cannot give our children the Holy Spirit, but our love does go with them when they leave home. We let go and trust that they will hold on to everything we have given them. Though they are far from our sight, we keep them near in our hearts, in prayer, and in this modern world via computer and phone. If we are able to promise these encouragements to our children, how much more will God do for us? He is with us always, no matter where we go, and through the Holy Spirit Jesus has given us everything we need to step out into the world to live lives of faith. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord, whether you are a young person deciding where to go in life or a parent sending a child out to begin their new life. God will be with them and with you, guiding and protecting those He loves.
A WORD FOR TODAY is posted five days a week – Monday through Friday. The devotional on Wednesday takes a look at the scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday. A WORD FOR TODAY is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Word-for-Today-Devotional/339428839418276. Like the page to receive the devotion through Facebook. For information and to access our archives, visit http://www.awordfortoday.org