Article July 24, 2000 Issue

God, a single Parent?

"Faced with the problem of finding care for my son hundreds of miles away, I asked for God's direction."

By Joan Lazarus

I Was Twelve Hundred Miles from home on a job interview when I learned that the child-care arrangements for my six-year-old were beginning to unravel.

As a single parent, I had planned carefully for every aspect of my son's care while I was away. A friend from church was to pick him up at school and stay with him the first night. For the remaining two days, a favorite preschool teacher was to pick him up and stay with him. However, she had just phoned my church friend, saying that she wasn't feeling well and couldn't care for my son. My friend called to apprise me of the situation, reminding me that she herself was scheduled to leave for the airport in thirty minutes and wouldn't be in town to pick him up from school. She wanted to know what to do.

Although my first thought was one of gratitude that she had so easily found me during the tightly-scheduled interview process, I still felt far away and inadequate. Feelings of guilt for leaving my child at first tempted me, but I knew that this self-doubt was unfounded. The job interview had emerged after I'd turned my career over to God. If offered, the job promised to be a blessing to both my son and me. Though the situation with my son seemed beyond my control, I knew that God would provide a practical answer.

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