Unfinished Business

Some seasons of life are easier than others. I am wading through the turbulent waters of mothering three daughters, aged 11, 13 and 15. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of puberty, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me! They are in the throws of the tumultuous transformation from childhood to maturity. And they are counting on me to be the wise Sherpa, leading them through this treacherous hormonal terrain.

The other morning, after emerging from a battle over who was wearing what, I checked my email and found a message that a teen friend had sent out of the blue, simply saying, “Thought you’d like this verse.”

“… being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you                                               will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

How kind! But then, I heard my frustrated husband calling everyone to a family meeting. (The only thing harder than mothering daughters this age is fathering them.) He bemoaned that everything in our home was a half-finished mess. So true. The meeting was brief, because I could not be late for my seminar on “How to Parent Middle Schoolers.”

The speaker opened with this verse: Philippians 1:6. Don’t you love it when God speaks and then repeats, SO YOU ARE SURE NOT TO MISS IT? His multi-media message was reminding me (mid-mess) that I am to remember that God began the work of molding us into His image, and that He will finish the job perfectly when Jesus returns.

Instead of looking through my woes-colored glasses at our half-done havoc and half-grown children, I am to be confident that God is in control, and I can rely on him to complete all my unfinished business. While not abdicating my responsibility for what God has entrusted to me to do, the ultimate outcome lies with Him. What a relief!