I wonder if God hurts for us like we hurt for our children. Whether they are young, adult, or young adults, it is hard to watch the struggle with finances or decisions, with careers or relationships, with faith or failures, with attitude or self-image.

Parenting doesn’t end.

How parenting looks can change. Even in the loss of a child to death, we still parent. We remember their preferences and special days. We joy in their life’s achievements, remember and grieve their disappointments and miss those personality quirks.

Years (and years and years) ago, Mother tucked a scrap of paper in my suitcase as I returned to college in a difficult life-season. In her beautiful cursive she wrote, “Don’t worry, dear one—Everything will be all right. Just remember—I love you so much. Mother”  I keep it in my Bible.

God knows we hurt for our children. Maybe what God wants to say to us as parents is: “Don’t worry, dear one. Everything will be all right. I love you so much. Abba” That, too, is in the Bible.