Dear GOD - Parent to parent

Dear God,

Today I want to talk to You parent to parent. As I was thinking about my children this morning and the love I have for them, it struck me—almost like it was the first time I truly realized it—You too, are a Parent.

The first time I became a parent, I was both unprepared and amazed. This tiny, fragile little creature—innocent, bright, and pure—was placed in my care to nurture, to develop, to teach, to raise. It terrified me. But You, God, knew me before I was even born. You did not have to wonder what I would become, because You already knew.

I remember watching my babies sleep at night, the little grin on their faces as if they were still playing with angels in their dreams. I counted every breath, watching their chests rise and fall to make sure they were still alive. God, that’s how You watch over me—but even closer. Because it is You who gives breath to my lungs. You know exactly when I will awake and when I will not, because You are the Author of my days.

Parenting is the hardest and most fulfilling assignment You gave me. I wasn’t sure I could prepare these human beings to positively impact the world. I feared that my brokenness, my ignorance, and the things I didn’t know would pass on to them. I often wondered how You chose me to be their parent. What were the qualifications? How was I worthy to shepherd such amazing souls? I still question that choice—but You never did. You picked me.

I watched in wonder as they grew. Every accomplishment, from their first roll to their first steps—stumbling, falling, getting back up again—brought both anxiety and joy. Their curiosity was endless, their senses alive, and my job was to protect them as their discovery expanded.

That’s how You see me, God. Watching me stumble. Watching me fall. Yet always cheering me on to get up again, no matter how many times I fail. You guide me as my curiosity expands. Do You feel that same anxiety as I walk through life, trying to discover who I am? You already know when I will fall, and You already know when I will rise again. And every time, you are there to catch me—just as I have always been there for my children.

I think about the wonderful memories: their eyes lighting up on Christmas morning, their excitement when the tooth fairy came, their laughter filling my heart. God, I realize You must feel that same joy when You see the wonder in my eyes. You must feel that same delight when I am happy.

But children grow too fast. One day they are tugging at my leg under my skirt, and the next they are walking down the aisle to begin their own journey. It is bittersweet. And while I wanted independence for them, it hurt to feel their need for me lessen. I thought independence meant they wouldn’t need me at all.

I’ve learned that letting go is the hardest part of parenting. They needed me for everything as babies, but as they grew, they wanted their own choices, their own friends, their own lives. Did I grow too fast for You, God? Did You feel that same ache? Did my independence make You feel like I needed You less?

Even now, as adults, my protection doesn’t stop. I am still the mama bear who would fight, kill, or die for them.

But You designed us for growth—for choice, for experience. Did you ever question that free will that you have us?

Even when I saw the pitfalls ahead, I had to let them walk their own road. All I could do was watch and pray. And oh God, how many “help my child” prayers You must have collected! Billions upon billions. You are still collecting them.

But God—who collects the prayers, wrapped in tears, that you pray for your children?

You call me flesh of Your flesh, bone of Your bone. That is how You feel about me. You are my Protector, my Provider, my Comforter. Nothing—not my mistakes, not my failures—can separate me from Your love.

I see it now. Parenting is eternal. No matter what roads my children walk, I will always be there to scoop them up out of the pit. Nothing can stop me from loving them. Nothing can separate me from them.

And I understand now—that is how You love me.

You loved me so much that You gave Your Son. You sacrificed Him, that all of us might live. God, I cannot imagine giving up one of my children to save the others. That love is beyond anything I could ever fathom.

And yet, today, I understand just a little bit more.

It makes me love You even deeper, because I see now—You love me the same way I love my children: eternally, without condition, without end.

With love, Your daughter, Valerie