Only Trust Him

When we first told our kids that we felt that God was calling us to Brazil, there was a mix of emotions and questions. Some of the questions I could answer, while others I was unsure about.

My kids asked great questions. When are we going? What is it like in Brazil? How am I going to make friends if I don't speak Portuguese? Where are we going to live? Where are we going to go to church? Where will I go to school? Do they have Legos in Brazil?

They feared that at first they were not going to be able to talk to people. They were anxious about living in a different culture. As they processed that they would have to say goodbye to their friends and family they grew sad. But they were also excited as they thought about the new adventure ahead and how God is using our family to show his love to the people of Brazil. Through all their fears of the unknowns, one thing stood out to me.

They trusted me.

In the Bible we are told to have faith like a little child. When I watch my children’s faith, I see that a childlike faith doesn’t mean that children are ignorant or unlearned. It means that they put their trust in their parent, because they have no other choice but to trust them.

My kids have so many questions and fears, but they MUST follow us, because they are our children. They may follow us with anxiety or doubts, but they follow us nonetheless. And in the end, through all their emotions, they TRUST US. They trust that their needs will be taken care of. They trust that we will do what is best for them, and in the end they will flourish. 

God has taught me so much about what it looks like to trust in him through my children. As I process my own emotions about going to Brazil, I am reminded not to stop following God step by step and day by day. Following him when the road is unclear. Following him when the future is unsure. Following him even though the details are not all laid out and the questions are not all answered. Following him because I must. I am HIS child, and as his child I go where my father goes. As his child I do as my father says. As his child I listen to and respond to the lessons of my father. And as his child I am loved deeply by my father. I am comforted by my father, and I TRUST my father has good things in store for me. 

And so I trust him.