There is something about being at the beach that gets you really thinking on a deeper level than the usual “what am I going to cook for dinner”. I’ve been thinking about this blog post since our beach trip last week but I have been letting it stew and refine a little before actually typing it out. Also I’ve been crazy busy so finding the time to sit down and actually work on this has been challenging.

I remember when Bennett was a few weeks old and there was bad news story after bad news story. I just held and gazed at Bennett as he slept in my arms, so perfect and whole and all I could think about was that this world has the potential to shatter how perfect he is. Why would I ever want to bring something so perfect into a world that is going to try and break him. How can I protect him from all the bad? Well, for one, I can’t. HE can though. Every single day, as a mom, I have to trust that God has a plan for Bennett far greater than I could ever imagine. That plan is going to call him out of my safe little bubble that I have created for him. It’s going to call him to be bold in his faith. To take risks, to love abundantly. To take leaps of faith. I can’t hold him tightly on the edge of a cliff so that I know he is safe because think of all that I could be holding him back from experiencing if he jumps. If he succeeds. If he flies.

I know Bennett is only 6 months old but if the next 15 years goes by as fast as the past 6 months have gone by, then I know those leaps of faith will be here before I know it.

Back to my thought process from the beach. Patrick and I search for shark teeth every time we are at the beach. It’s just our thing… we are actually pretty good at it. I’ll have to post a picture of our collection one day. Anywho’s, I came across a tiny little shell while on our hunt for shark teeth. It was perfect. It was tiny. It was beautiful. It immediately reminded me of Bennett. How did this tiny little shell remain untouched from the storms of the sea? How could this tiny little shell, remain unshattered after the waves beat it, smashed it into the sand over and over again and somehow it landed perfect and whole among the thousands of broken pieces of shells around it?

That’s my prayer for Bennett. I pray he is the tiny little shell that withstands the storms of life and remains strong and whole no matter what is thrown his way. Life is hard. He is going to face some challenging stuff, especially in the world that he is going to grow up in. That terrifies me. That thought has the opportunity to shake my peace. Knowing that I can’t protect him from everything opens a door for me to let fear in.

” Parents, we can’t protect children from every threat in life, but we can take them to the Source of Life”

“Wise are the parents who regularly give their children back to God”

Both of those quotes are from Max Lucado’s “Fearless” book. Great book, you should read it.

Seriously though, we need to give our children back to God every single day. Everyday we have to trust that God has a great plan for our child’s life. That HE is in control. That HE is their safe place in the storms that try to break them. That HE will bring them to shore, safe, whole and perfect through every storm that comes their way.

I pray that as the years pass, I can point Bennett to the One who calms the waves, who will help him walk on the water, who will bring him safe to shore every time.