“To let go is not to adjust everything to my desires,
But to take each day as it comes.”

Our greatest desires involve our children living the way we want them to live. When our child is addicted we want more than anything for them to be clean and sober and become productive members of society. When they have severed all communication we long for reconciliation. Whatever they are doing to cause our pain, we just want them to stop, turn around, make choices and live in the way that we believe they should be living.

Sadly, this usually doesn’t happen, even though we spend most of our waking moments obsessed with coming up with ways that might change them. We think of ways to manipulate and control them. We stalk them on social media. We give them money, we bail them out of jail, we let them move back in with us, all in hopes that this time will be different. This time they will appreciate what we are doing, and they will finally turn from their hurtful and destructive ways. This cycle repeats itself over and over again and we lose ourselves and own lives as we work relentlessly at trying to adjust their lives to fit with our desires.

Instead of worrying ourselves sick and futilely trying to orchestrate and control what happens with our child we need to spend more time living in the moment. We have things to do and other relationships that need our attention. Taking each day as it comes is something Jesus talked about in Matthew 6:34, when he said, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” That means we take one day at a time focusing on what He has for us in that day. The stress, anxiety, and fear will leave us when we are resting in Him in the present and not going down the road in our minds to what may or may not happen.

Rest in the Lord today and experience the good things He has for you.