This week during our nightly reading, my daughter and I read a book that took place in the forests of Australia. We came upon a traumatic scene where a kangaroo and her joey became prey to a pack of dingoes. The kangaroo ran and hopped as high and as fast as she could, but her offspring, safely nuzzled in her pouch, weighed her down. In these cases, a kangaroo will drop her baby and allow the predator to continue to seize her, while giving herself and her child their best chance of survival; knowing that she might not ever see him again! As I read this scene, I couldn’t help but feel sadness, for both the mother and child, and the way life separated them so cruelly.

Like this baby kangaroo, Moses was also cruelly separated from his mother, Jocabed. When Pharaoh pursued the death of all the Hebrew male babies, Jocabed had no choice but to drop her child in a river to give him his best chance. What anguish she must have felt in doing so! Yet, at the same time, she trusted God with her whole heart and when she released her child, Jocabed put him right into the Lord’s hands!

While our children are young, we hold them tightly when we can, we watch their steps and shield them from harm. As they grow, we slowly begin to let go of their hands and allow them to walk on their own, protectively watching at a close distance. Soon, the day comes for us to “drop” them out of our care and into the wild and unprotected big world. On this day, we entrust our children to the Lord, and we can trust that He will put exactly who they need in their path, from teachers, to supervisors, and even friends. We can trust that God has a perfect plan for our children that is far better than any plan we might have had for them. God created them for a purpose, and he will see it fulfilled in His time. And although it is hard to imagine, we can trust that God loves our children more than we ever could!

Releasing our children takes great faith, whether you are a new mother on the first day of school or a seasoned mother releasing her child to adulthood. Trusting that God is faithful and has a beautiful plan for our children allows us the courage to face the sweet release into His hands.

Suggested Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, you, better than anyone, know how hard it is to release your child into the world. I trust in you to help me release my children knowing that you will be there right beside them. Thank you for your promises. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

1.    Hebrews 11:1, 23 (NIV).

Today’s Encounter was written by: Veronica B.