Jesus is FOR caregiving parents, but when parenting gets rough it’s easy to forget that truth. In the fifth and final post of Heather Braucher’s FOR series, she talks about how she finds assurance of Jesus’ presence when the lows of parenting drag her down.

High highs and low lows is the phrase we have used this year when others ask how our family is doing. To be honest, I have been tempted to view life through the lens of dread, fearing hope because I have gotten so used to the other shoe dropping.

It feels easier to protect myself from the pain and disappointment that the unexpected can bring when I forgo hope and choose to remain jaded, skeptical, sarcastic, and cynical. It’s too risky to choose hopefulness.

Hope is like a balloon that wants to fly high in the sky and float. Hope says, “I don’t know what I will encounter, but right now, I feel joy and I want to embrace it and move forward.” Hope knows that fear is real and the unexpected might happen, but even in the face of that risk, it chooses to be brave in order to embrace joy.

Fear is like the weight that keeps the balloon from flying away. It keeps hope locked in the ground. Fear tells you to give up, stop trying, stop fighting the good fight and let sorrow win.

I had been struggling with this internal battle, feeling like I should let my balloon fly, but keeping it tethered for fear of future heartache. One day, in the midst of carrying the weight of it all—

• The heaviness and intensity of having 2 boys with special needs,
• The reality of a loved one’s suffering and limited time,
• The consistent financial tension that living on a one-income ministry salary can bring,
• and anything else unexpected that we just don’t have any margin for,

—I cried out to the Lord in surrender.

I cried out, completely overcome with it all, with no rest in sight, and completely devoid of hope that Jesus is for caregiving parents like us.

And in His great mercy, God answered and I saw our high highs and low lows from a new perspective.

I had been battling the great weight of those lows that kept piling up. I had been angry and frustrated because as soon as I would experience a win––be it good news, positive feedback, or a day with no phone calls from the school––something bad would happen within hours, even minutes of embracing joy.

When He answered the prayers of my heart, He reminded me that my struggle was not unseen by my God.

He gave me eyes to see, and I finally saw Him above everything else. I saw that

• He kept showing up.
• For every victory overcast by another trial, another victory would come.
• He never stopped bringing joy.
• He never stopped providing.
• He never stopped healing.
• He never withheld recovery.
• We were never forsaken.

The high highs are proof that God keeps showing up. As often as pain comes, so does He. He even tells us in John 16:33 that we will have pain but need not fear because “I have overcome the world.”

We are reminded of this again in the book of Revelation. As believers in Christ, we know how this story ends. And it’s not on a low!

Jesus is for caregiving parents. Never forget that.

Part 1: We are FOR Parents and Children
Part 2: Mothers are FOR their Children with Disabilities and Special Needs
Part 3: Caregiving Spouses are FOR Each Other
Part 4: Caregiving Moms are FOR Other Caregiving Moms
Part 5: Jesus is FOR Caregiving Parents

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Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay