Parenthood Can Produce Fear
I remember driving to pick up my husband from the airport in a major city, and my infant son was in his car seat in the back seat. I had done this drive other times and hadn’t really thought much about it. But I remember on this particular drive, I had this overwhelming feeling of responsibility and even panic just wash over me as I realized that if something happened to us on the drive, it would impact my son.
In a way that I hadn’t been frightened just for my own welfare, all of a sudden I was feeling this fear for my child. And while there’s a right and good desire to protect our children, sometimes that can extend into anxiety or worry as we realize that we are not in control of all the things and we can’t always protect our children. Before becoming a mom, I really wouldn’t have described myself as a fearful or an anxious person. But once I had children, it seemed to bring these different fears and anxieties to the surface.
Every Hour I Need You
Katie Faris
Through personal stories and biblical reflections, Katie Faris walks with women, helping them contemplate God’s unchanging character and see how his purposes are at work, even in the everyday moments of motherhood.
As with that driving example, other situations also provoked anxiety inside of me. My husband was studying to be a pastor, and I was asking questions about whether we would be able to live on a pastor’s salary. Would the Lord really provide for us? What would that look like?
Later, when three of our children were diagnosed with a serious genetic condition, I had all kinds of fears and questions that came to the surface about what this would mean for my children’s future and, really, what this would mean for our whole family.
God’s not just in control of a few things. He’s in control of everything.
God Is in Control
Maybe you have some of your own fears, worries, and anxieties that motherhood has caused to surface. Often, behind our fears is this realization that as much as we want to be in control or sometimes think that we are, at the end of the day, ultimately, we’re not in control. We are not in charge. And I think that’s what really scares us.
But God’s sovereignty speaks to that reality. When we acknowledge that we’re not in control, that’s actually a path that offers us the freedom to recognize and acknowledge that God is in complete control.
He’s not just in control of a few things; he’s in control of everything. When life feels like it’s spinning out of control, we remind ourselves that our heavenly Father is still on his throne. He’s still reigning. And ultimately, that reality means so much more even than having our questions answered.
Katie Faris is the author of Every Hour I Need You: 30 Meditations for Moms on the Character of God.
Katie Faris (BA, Grove City College) is the author of God Is Still Good; He Will Be Enough; and Loving My Children. She is also a contributing writer to several blogs, including the Gospel Coalition and the Focused Pastor. A pastor’s wife and mother to five, Katie lives with her family in New Jersey. To learn more, visit katiefaris.com.
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