New Ways to Trust God
Learning to Navigate Parenthood in Chaos
“Trusting Him in new ways.”
If you ask Grammy award-winning Family Life Radio artist Rebecca St. James what it is that God is teaching her these days, that’s what she’ll say. Not just trust, but new ways of trust as she navigates parenthood in the chaos of a world at war, communities in compromise and a church divided. Then, on top of all of that, you have the heaviness of the personal losses endured through the pandemic, which have deeply touched the St. James family.
“[It’s] just heavy stuff,” Rebecca says. “I look at our little kids that are seven, three and one [years old] and just kind of go, ‘What is going on and are we really in end times?’”
“That, in and of itself, is a heavy question to carry and also shelter three young ones from the darkness of it. Naturally, it begs the inner inquiries of what these babies that you love so much might be in for as we advance toward the finish line that the Bible so clearly specifies is, while glorious in the end, not fun to get to.”
“It deeply, deeply saddens me – we’ve got too many people in our lives that are passing away kind of randomly for different reasons, watching them struggle and fight for their lives. I think a lot of us have asked that question right now. What are we all in for? What are our kids in for?”
“I’m quite sensitive,” Rebecca admits, “I can take it on, on a fear or worry level. So, it’s this new level … I cannot take on the heaviness.”
Rebecca’s answer is to limit how much she takes in of what’s going on in the world. “I watch news wisely,” Rebecca said. “I limit how much I take into my inbox about what’s going on in the world. We all have to judge how much we can handle.”
She admits it wasn’t a conscious decision, but she feels it’s important not to receive the 24/7 negative news you can see if you listen and watch the news all the time. She asked, “Do you really need to know what’s going on all hours of the day? I don’t think we do.”
One of the things Rebecca says she’s been thinking about lately is village culture. Only so much agonizing, traumatic things can happen in a village.
“You hear about these awful things that happened in that village, but it might be a few people. Right now, because of online [access], we can know about … so much tragedy. It’s part of why so many people are struggling. It’s too much for us emotionally to handle.”
When it comes to social media and news, Rebecca said, “I have to guard my heart. I’m not saying I stick my head in the sand. We need to live in reality and to truthfully go forward, asking God to be with us.”
Rebecca believes every parent feels protective of their children. “There’s a mother or father duck component to [parenting] today.”
“Our children need to be exposed to our world slowly and in the right way. Parents have wisdom for their children as they lean into God’s divine direction and instruction. Children should not have to grow up too quick or have that sense of wonder about life taken away.”
Rebecca doesn’t want her children exposed to all the temptation that goes along with online access.
“As parents, we fight that battle until we know our children are equipped to handle that wisely and they share with us those great choices. And we have to trust God with our children.”
Rebecca shares, “This is a place of prayer. As a parent, there are so many things to pray about.”
Psalm 56:3 says very simply, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you” (NIV).
We are not built to handle the heavy consequence this fallen world lays at our feet each day, which is why Jesus offers to carry it for us. When we trust Him, our faith deepens. When our faith deepens, our love grows, enabling us to further understand His love for us.
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