I’m not a parent so I can’t and wont pretend to know what it is like to be one. I cannot know.
But, what I can and do know, is what it has been like for me to be parented by God Almighty via Jesus Christ. Like all relationships, the more time we spend in someone’s presence, the more we get to know them and discover about them. It is no different in our relationship with God. Having known him for twenty years I now know more about him than I ever have before.
Because of what I have learned, I am committed to continuing to learn about and from God. I have discovered there is nothing more challenging, liberating, amusing or plain enlivening. He is always seeking ways to show himself and speak to us but we’re often too distracted, busy or worried to notice his efforts. (At least, I know I am!) Or, he says something we don’t want to hear so we ignore it in favour of listening to those who will massage our egos, by only telling us what we want to hear! This is great if we wish to stay stuck, not so much if we are seeking the wisdom of God to help us move forward! We choose!
And, he is a God who is available to us all, every moment of every day. He is not a parent who ever turns us away despite the number of other children he has! He is with us 100% of the time whether it feels or looks like it, or not. And his heart is so far above our flawed, selfish hearts that God genuinely welcomes us, with whatever we have in our hearts. He never requires us to hide the hurts or emotions in our hearts that we may have been taught to feel ashamed or afraid of.
God made us; so he sees, knows and welcomes all that we house in our hearts. Especially the ugly emotions! He knows that these cause the most damage when we keep them inside. The latest research shows that unaddressed mental and emotional health impacts our immune systems. This leaves us more vulnerable to the attacks of sickness and disease, that none of us are exempt from. (Read The body keeps the score, by Bessel Van de Kolk, When the body says no, Gabor Mate, if interested in knowing more.)
In these stressful days where the privatisation of the NHS is already happening whether we want it to or not, many are only able to access the health care they need if they can afford to pay privately. Where does this leave those of who cannot afford to take this route?
I remind myself that God Almighty remains above, beyond and within those, under-pressure, yet still delivering what they can, members of the NHS workforce.
When I could not access the help I needed for peri/trauma/long covid/burnout/neurodivergence assessment, for three long, hard years, God sustained me. It didn’t feel like it at the time as my prayers felt stuck on repeat,
“Help me, heal me, help me, heal me. Purleeeaaaase help me, heal me.’
But eventually my pain eased enough for me to see that God was surrounding me with masses of amazing human beings who have loved and supported me – it is these people that I call ‘family’ and who have bought me through, when the NHS couldn’t.
I thank God that after three years, I found an excellent Gp who is now walking me through these health challenges.
Just this week, I have heard numerous people speak of their health issues which have been exacerbated by an inability to access health care, without going private. And even then, some people are still struggling to find medical professionals with the appropriate training or knowledge to address their health issues. Health really is critical to our quality and experience of life.
It would seem to me, biased as I am when it comes to twenty years lived experience of Jesus, that it is has never been more important to recognise that praying to God Almighty is not merely a last option, but one beyond waiting lists or insufficient resources.
The ability and invitation to pray in the name of Jesus remains open to every single one of us. And the God who hears, sees, knows and responds to every need of the human heart, does not ration or restrict our ability to approach him. He is the God and parent who welcomes us coming to him for his help, every time and without exception.
While I do not know what it is to be a parent, I have observed that healthy parenting involves trying to be available to meet a child’s needs, whether emotional, mental, physical or spiritual. We’re not plants so the food, water and shelter approach is not enough.
I take my hats off to parents for attempting such a feat on top of every other part of adulting. And there is no more important job than parenting in creating internal safety and esteem – no parent needs to be perfect as ruptures are inevitable but the working through of these is critical. It is essential to own struggles and ask for help where necessary. It seems insane that parents are not taught how to parent, despite it being the most important role a human can ever play in the life of a child. Those training courses that do exist are key.
But, even with the best will in the world, all of us humans, parents or not, have limitations.
God has no limits when it comes to loving us.
He calls us to have boundaries and to live within them for our own protection and wellbeing. However, God does not limit our calls to him – he hears and responds to every call and cry of the human heart. This does not mean he gives us everything we want, when or how we want it. He puts boundaries on our behaviour because he is not afraid to tell us no, when something is not healthy for us. But he never turns us away or dismisses our call for help. He comes to our aid every time, although not necessarily in our timing or in the way we want or expect! But he always responds.
There is no limit to how often we call out to him or how much help we ask him for. When we call upon the name of Jesus, for help with how we manage and respond to the challenges we face and on behalf of those we love (and some we don’t!), he comes running. He can’t not. This is who he is.
The bottom line is that every single one of us GOES through crap, but God Almighty offers us his helping hand to GROW through it and come out stronger, wiser and kinder.
That’s something I’m always going to ask for large portions of. And when we receive something in life, God’s help, that is wonderful beyond our human ability to comprehend it, I will always want to share it.
So, it gives me great joy to offer prayer to you via the prayer box in Bites & Breezes. You don’t need me to pray for you though, as you can cut out the middle woman and go straight to God yourself.
Please do – he’s a total legend with a sense of humour way superior to any of ours. If you like laughs, call upon the name of Jesus. But, be warned that sometimes the joke is on us!! And sometimes these truths of God’s can evoke an ouch or two, but always his truths bring a freedom that bs never will!