Article September 5, 2011 Issue

Angels by our children’s side

By Lindsey Taylor

For all parents, the safety of their children is of paramount importance, from the time they take their first steps and their horizons widen beyond their mother’s arms, to the time their horizons broaden worldwide and they “go travelling” or maybe take up military service. In between, there is a whole series of “firsts” and experiences that sometimes cause parents anxiety—the first day of school; the first sleepover, the first late-night party, the new driver’s first journey alone in the car, and ultimately the journey to independence at college. The paradox of parenting is the natural desire to hold your children close and safe while progressively letting them go! 

Whether a child is in the next room or on the other side of the world, I’ve found that one way I take the best care of my children is by knowing that they are in the care of their Father-Mother God, whose love, wisdom, and government can be felt and known everywhere. This is because God is present and active everywhere. God’s love for every child generously equips him or her with every quality needed to be successful and safe—qualities such as honesty, wisdom, self-discipline, perception, and unselfishness. The parent’s role is to recognize and nurture these divinely derived qualities in themselves and in their children.

Children may gradually move away from their parents’ “hands-on” care, but they can never leave the care of their heavenly Parent, nor loosen their relationship with Him. This relationship is eternal! In fact, no matter at what stage of life we find ourselves, we are always parented by the fatherhood and motherhood of God, kept safe and supplied with all that we need. God’s parenting isn’t limited to young children and families—He nurtures all, as well as those who are single, including single parents, career professionals, and the bereaved. As Mary Baker Eddy noted in her book, Science and Health: “Father-Mother is the name for Deity, which indicates His tender relationship to His spiritual creation” (p. 332).