Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5

As I dropped my youngest son off at baseball practice, the rain pelted down. And the wind blew tree branches into the roadway.

I got home just a few minutes before my oldest son would leave for school. He’s 16 and a new driver. He had never driven in a rainstorm like that before.

My son stood in the kitchen, nearly ready for school.

“How do you feel about driving in this weather?” I asked. Inside, I tried to decide if I would follow him, drive him or drive with him.

“I’m good,” he said.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“I can drive,” he answered.

I tried not to panic. Having him drive alone without me doing anything wasn’t even an option in my mind.

Yet he didn’t seem daunted. Instead, he looked confident.

Thankfully, my husband was still home. I went into the bedroom and told him our son wanted to drive to school in this weather. He looked at the weather radar and told him to wait five more minutes.

Our son looked at the radar, looked outside and decided to start in about three minutes instead of five.

As he started his 15-minute drive to school, I prayed.

And I watched. With a location app, I can see the route he drives in real time. As I watched his icon move toward school, I realized the app only gives me the illusion of control. It won’t prevent accidents or put a protective bubble around him. Only God can do that.

I pray every day that God will protect both my children.

Then I have to trust them in His hands. Trust that He knows better than I do. Trust that He loves them even more than I do.

I thanked God when I saw my son arrived safely.

I’m finding these teen years tough. I don’t know how my mom lived with so much uncertainty! I didn’t have a cell phone or a GPS app. When I left home, she had no idea if I really made it to school or not.

I’m learning to trust God as my teens gain new independence.

What are you learning to trust God with today?

Stacy