Trusting God with my Daughter’s Future

A week ago I sent my seventeen year old daughter halfway around the world. 

Before the sendoff, I cried all the way through worship. I couldn’t figure it out. I knew Hannah would be safe with her youth pastor, his wife, and the small group of teens going on this mission trip to the Czech Republic. 

I fly frequently myself, so I wasn’t worried about her plane going down. Why on earth was I falling apart? 


God has me.



 
Then it hit me. Time. Or, lack of time, to be exact.


 One year from now, my dear seventeen year old daughter will be a high school graduate. She is my oldest, and I’ve never been through this before. 

I’ll admit I’m scared. 

Hannah isn’t one of those kids who has her life figured out. She doesn’t know what she wants to do when she grows up. But she’s interested in music, the Bible, and different cultures. 

On this mission trip to the Czech Republic, she is going to explore the possibility of becoming a missionary in Europe. 

Oh, that makes this mama proud! 

And scared. 

And sad. 

What will I do if my oldest lives halfway around the world? 

I already miss her so much I almost can’t stand it! What if she dedicates her life to serving God overseas? 

The control freak in me wants to figure it all out. Now. 

But then God whispers, “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 
 

When the nurse placed Hannah in my new-mother arms seventeen years ago, God knew her future. He knew His plans for her, even when I was trying to figure out how to be a mommy. 

When she went to speech therapy in kindergarten, He knew that one day she would feel compassion for those who have trouble with communication. 

When she faced the awkward pre-teen years that included rejection by her peers, He knew she would develop a heart for those who don’t fit in. 

And now that she’s on the brink of adulthood, only God knows how he’s going to weave all of her gifts and experiences together into a beautiful tapestry to be used for His glory. 

Perhaps she’ll be a missionary overseas. Perhaps she’ll do something completely different. 

 

But God has a plan. And His plan never fails.

Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:16

Those hands that formed my daughter? They will guide her into the future. Whatever that looks like. 

 
I just need to trust God. 
 
The voice that calmed the storm on the sea of Galilee? It will calm the storm in my heart. I just need to listen. 
 
And trust. 
 
In times of uncertainty, I find it helps to meditate on “what is,” rather than “what if.” 
 
 Here’s what I know. God loves my child, and God loves me.

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. 1 John 3:1a

God understands the struggle I have in sending my daughter off into the world. He also sent His Son into the world.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:16-17

Regardless of what the future holds, nothing will separate me from the love of God. And nothing will separate my daughter from that same love.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

When I turn my mind from the worries in my heart to the truth of God’s Word, I find peace. I have a choice: worry or trust God. And God is trustworthy. 

 
 He led his people out of Egypt. 
 
 He gave David the power to slay a giant with 5 small stones. 
 
 He saved Daniel in the lion’s den. 
 
 He conquered sin and death on the cross and through His resurrection. 
 
This is the God who holds my child in His hands. 
 
This is the God who holds her future. 
 
This is the God to whom I entrusted my child when she stepped on the plane to the Czech Republic. 
 
And this is the God to whom I will entrust my child when she graduates next year. 
 
He’s got this. He’s got her. He’s got me.

So we have come to know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in God abides in love, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgement, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. 1 John 4:16-18a

Lynnae McCoy is a Christian, wife, mother, personal chef, minivan chauffeur, nurse of all booboos, and laundry queen. She loves to help other women organize their lives, so they can do more without feeling overwhelmed. Because when mama is overwhelmed, the family is overwhelmed! Lynnae blogs at LynnaeMcCoy.com.

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