A Missed Opportunity

My oldest son is in his senior year at college. Unlike a lot of students, he’s working his way through. He’s employed on a production line for a company that offers tuition reimbursement. It’s hard, dirty, labor intensive work that often makes doing schoolwork a challenge. By sheer bulldoggedness, though, he’s getting the job done. He’s a consistent A and B student, even making the Dean’s List one semester.

Unfortunately, the industry in which this production facility sits is suffering an economic slow down. One plant has already been shut down with several hundred workers laid off. He’s been moved around and once found himself facing a move to 1st shift, something that would have effectively disabled his school attendance.

While recently watching the local news it was announced that the company had laid off another150 workers that day. I called my son, who answered that he was not among those let go that morning. He shared his concerns with me and how difficult it was to come into work and find several familiar faces no longer there. I gave him the benefit of my advice, which amounted to little more than, “You need to speak with your Dad” and “Keep us up-to-date with what’s going on.”

Later that night after going to bed I thought about our conversation. A disturbing thought dawned on me. Why hadn’t I prayed with him? I had effectively patted him on the back and told him to hang in there, but I had failed to show him to take it before the Lord.

Rats, a missed opportunity!

One of the things I’ve discovered along the way is that parenting is a process. I make my share of mistakes, I miss cues that later seem obvious, and I say things that, in retrospect, make me wonder what in the world I was thinking when the words fell out of my mouth. Sometimes I even experience doubt that I’m doing anything right and that I’ve condemned my child to a life of inexorable failure.

That’s when I have to remind myself that, as a missionary, it’s my commitment to following the Lord that matters. Sure, I’ll have ups and downs, and there’s no guarantee that what I’m doing will work. I’m not the Savior. But I can refocus, pray for discernment and wisdom, and then leave the results to God. It is, after all, by His grace that any of us are saved.