Scripture Psalm 103:13–14 (NKJV) “As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.”
The older I get, the more quickly my heart is moved when my children are in trouble.
I don’t just feel concern. I feel the weight of their troubles bearing down on them. I start thinking ahead for them, because I think that I see consequences before they encounter them. I remember how long it sometimes takes to recover.
You know how experience sharpens your instincts. When you have lived long enough, you know some pain could have been avoided.
That’s why something rises up in me and makes me want to step in and shield them. I’m moved to get in front of the impact before it hits.
When that happens now, this verse steadies me – “As a father pities his children…”
That word pities speaks of a feeling of deep compassion. This feeling is the kind of love that understands weakness and does not turn away from it.
The instinct to protect my children is not accidental. It reflects the heart of God.
Ironically, the verse doesn’t stop there, and It ends by saying: “For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.”
God understands my child’s limits better than I do. He sees what shapes them. He sees what must mature in them. He sees what I cannot.
He also sees me just as clearly. That is where the humility must come in.
I am their father. Or mother. Or elder. That is my role. I am not their savior.
When I try to manage every outcome, I step beyond what belongs to me. When I pray and trust, I remain aligned with the Father who loves them more than I ever could.
Age is teaching me something deeper.
I can love without controlling. I can guide without gripping. I can care without carrying what is not mine to carry.
The Lord pities His children.
And He does not forget that we are dust.
That truth steadies me.
Prayer
Father, You know how quickly we want to fix what hurts our children. Teach us to trust and pray instead of control or panic. Remember them in their weakness, and steady us in ours. In Jesus’ name, Amen.