Yes, you can still parent a child you don’t see. It’s easier said than done, but for Christians, we already worship a Sovereign God that we can’t see.
When the Lord gave me custody through birth that I never had to file away to a courthouse to obtain, then how can any courthouse take my place? They can’t. No document exists that can delete Love.
For me, I am my child’s mother despite whatever documents are filed anywhere because God made it so. God doesn’t make mistakes and He gave me a child. That’s that. What happened after that for me was spiritual warfare that attempted to take my faith in God, by taking custody of my child. It didn’t work. Even though I haven’t seen my child in years, I am still here praising the Lord!
So, how can we enact this practice of parenting out of sight but not out of mind in our actual lives? The first thing you can do is pray for your child. Prayer is an action.
“The prayers of the righteous availeth much.” - James 5:16
Psalm 24:1 says, “the whole world belongs to God”. So, too, your child belongs to the Lord. Is your child currently wayward and living as the world lives? Are you waiting on a prodigal child to return? Guess what, the Lord has been waiting longer than you and for a much better reason! The reason? Eternal life! Now listen, I love my daughter more than the next breath I’m going to draw, but I cannot give her eternal life. I helped birth her into earthly life. Beyond that? We need Jesus! C’mon, somebody!
Prodigals are not people that you are waiting on, they are people the Lord is waiting on. The prodigal son parable is a metaphor for how the Lord feels while waiting for His children. He is our example, whenever our kids show up.
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you. In that order. Seek the face of the Lord and then He will Romans 8:28 your situation because as the Word says, “He works all things, not most things, not some things, but He works all things for the good of those who are called according to His purpose.”
The second thing we can do is be a good steward of the gift of life the Lord has given us in the form of our children. So, what does being a good steward look like without having access to our children? Can we save for their education? Yes. Can we donate to a needy cause in the name of our children or create a foundation? Yes, we can. Can we help another child? Adopt or foster a child? Can we give a Secret Santa present/Thanksgiving basket/Easter basket to a child who otherwise might not receive anything? Yes. If money is tight can we round up our purchase to the nearest dollar at our local pharmacy to a worthy cause?
The point is: Do something for another child, that you wish you could do for your own. By doing this, we are making room for the renewing of our minds to become more Christ-like. More generous, not less. More caring, not more callous. Mike Tyson said it best, “if you let the devil change you, then he wins.” Mind you, you would only be allowing the devil to win over you. In the last days, we know the enemy is already defeated. So, don’t allow him to win your soul. Give Soul Custody of you to Jesus!
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Soul Custody to Jesus Substack to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.