Casandra Martin

My daughter is graduating in a few days. She is in the process of finishing up the unfinished, tying up the loose ends, and preparing for the opportunities that are ahead. She put the final touches on a project that recapped her area of study even as she began to knock on doors, answer interview questions, and imagine a life beyond school. She is doing great. I’ve been holding my breath.

I didn’t even realize that I was holding my breath. We have prayed, encouraged, loved, cried, laughed, and prayed some more over the last several weeks. We committed ourselves to putting her in God’s hand, to waiting on His timing, and following His lead. There have been ups and downs, disappointments, excitement, sparks of confidence, and seeds of doubt. Trusting became a full time job.

And then I started breathing again. Settling in with my Bible over my morning yogurt, I read words that soothed my soul and breathed fresh life into my tired lungs. “Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” – Matthew 7:9-11.

How much more… Those words changed the rhythm of my prayers. I love my daughter with mom-sized love. He loves her with God-stretched passion. I am on her side. He is constantly by her side. I am willing to give my life for her. He already did that. Setting her in God’s hands means opening our hearts to the truth that whatever unfolds, whatever doors open or close, whatever path is revealed, it will be His very best. Gifts tailor-made for her heart and her walk with Him.

My Jesus Resolution today is to rest in His how much more. I can breathe, knowing that I can trust Him with even this most precious of gifts. How much more speaks to the immensity of His love, the depth of His faithfulness, the intensity of His grace, and the intimacy of His presence. How much more challenges me to open my eyes a little wider, walk a little closer, pray a little more fervently, bow a little more humbly, and praise Him a little more intensely. How much more allows anticipation rather than anxiety to fill my soul.