The Day I Turned into Mama Bear
by Barbara Rainey
How do I trust God when my husband is dealing with hard issues at work and it makes him distracted and distant at home?
How do I trust God when it feels my life is falling apart? It seems everything is going wrong at once right now.
How do I trust God when my child is being bullied, when his safety is in question?
I have asked all of these questions and more. It is in these hard places of life where we have the opportunity to see the wonder of God’s miraculous work!
As much as I dislike hard circumstances, I am learning these times are gifts from God’s hand. He is saying, “Come to Me; bring Me your emptiness and inadequacy, and I will give you what you need, your daily bread, from the riches of My grace. For My grace is sufficient for you.”
Several years ago, a neighbor boy got angry at my son while they were playing in our backyard. He picked up a huge rock and was about to hurl it at my son’s head, which was mere inches away. I instantly turned into an angry mama bear and the intended harm was averted. This incident was not the only time this boy attempted to act out his anger on my children.
I watched my kids like a hawk when this child was over, which thankfully wasn’t a frequent occurrence. He and his parents did not know Jesus, and we wanted to be kind and demonstrate the love of God to them. I knew the gospel called me to love my enemies, and this child felt like an enemy. But loving him was impossible for me. On my own, I only became angrier and angrier, unable to even be kind to him.
Once again, God gave me what I lacked: His love.
Jesus taught us to ask for our daily bread, and I needed the bread of His love. I prayed, confessed my utter inability to love on my own, and requested His love for this boy.
And one day it was there. God gave me His love for this child. It was genuine and unexplainable, except by prayer and His grace toward me.
Trusting God for all that I lack is an invitation. When I come to Him, His grace gives me even the ability to trust Him more. Any capacity I have to respond to God is all grace.
The longer I live, the more I understand how much I need His help. As another old hymn says, “Every hour I need Thee.” His help to me is all grace, all undeserved.
O for grace to trust Him more. That is my heart’s desire. May it be yours too.
“O Lord you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart.” -Psalm 10:17