When God Works in Funny Ways To Assure a Parent

“The police here are so nice!!!”

Not necessarily words you know how to respond to first thing in the morning in a text from your college daughter. “Why in the world has she had an interaction with the police…It’s Week One of college?!“

And then I remembered… oh yeah, the parking ticket.

That little gift discovered on the hood of her car after the first long day of sorority recruitment. When she called me the ticket was just icing on the cake to an already stressful day. Even still, it took everything in me not to keep reiterating that she should have looked at the parking information sheet she received this summer. I knew it had very specific instructions on where to park and where not to, though I also knew “I told you so” is not what she needed to hear.

But the surge of anxiety I felt the evening before she left home resurfaced. “How is she going to survive without me?”

“Will she pay close enough attention to her class syllabi?”

“Will she keep up with her reading all semester or wait until crunch time?“

I’m certain I am not the only mom worrying about such things. Don’t we all tend to think (at least sometimes) it’s our job to ensure our kids’ success? Unfortunately, what I’ve inadvertantly communicated to my daughter through a history of worry turned to nagging is she can’t survive without me. (Not to mention the extra, undo stress she has felt.)

But now she’s at college and everything is totally outside of my control. And that stresses me out! Sometimes though God works in funny ways to gently show us what we need to see, which is why I laughed and then cried when I read what came next in her text about the “nice police.”

“I’m going to the parking office right now to discuss my ticket and see if I can do community service instead.”

And then later:

“Love them all. Got off with a warning this time:)”

Of course I was thrilled she doesn’t have to pay for the ticket, but more thrilling to me is she handled it. All by herself. Without delay. And without even consulting me. 

Wow. You know what? I think she’s going to be okay!

Thank you, God, for this little reminder that she’s in your hands, and perfectly capable and prepared.

 

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