Do You Trust God with your child?

We live in a strange time, where transgender bathrooms are topics of discussion. In the not-too-distant future public schools will have bathrooms available for the transgender student to go where they identify most.

When I first heard this, I thought, "Oh no, my daughter will start kindergarten this year, am I going to have to put her in private school just to keep her protected from this??" (Lord knows I cannot home school..let's just say it's not my gifting.) ;)

So one thing I try to do when a big decision needs to be made is I imagine what life would be like for both paths I have to choose from. Let's say every christian takes their child out of public school: God's spirit would no longer be in the public school system through our children. 
How does that work in the grand scheme of trusting the Lord, living in the world and being a light to others? If every christian parent decided to homeschool their child to protect them from the world, haven't we just taken something that is not even ours to begin with and put a basket over it so it cannot shine to the unsaved? How will any non-christian child hear about Christ if not one child in the public school system is saved? We all know teachers can't talk about God without getting fired or written up!

Friends I am on the fence. One part of me says, yes, take your kid out of public school because God gave us the responsibility to protect them and raise them in His Word. But the other part of me says where is your trust? Do you not trust that God will take care of your child? Do you not trust in His great plan? And do you care more about sheltering your child from the world than obeying the commands of the Lord to let your light shine, to go make disciples, and to love as Christ loves?

I think what it boils down to is this: What is God telling YOU to do? 

There is no right or wrong christian answer to keeping your child in public school or taking them out. This is an issue that only God has the answer for. And YOU as the parent of God's child need to seek Him about it. Do not make your child's future decisions based on a high horse, or on what all the other christian moms are doing, or on a political stance. Make the decision on what the Holy Spirit tells YOU to do regarding your child.

Remember WWJD? (What would Jesus Do?) If Jesus had a child, (and btw He does, it's all of us!) would He allow that child into public school amongst "sinners"? Or would He take them out of that influence to homeschool them? I honestly don't know! Those BOTH sound like something He would do! wait..hold on a sec.. I'm seeing a parallel here…We are His children, and He has put us into a sinful world, (kinda like public school) but yet He still wants to be our Teacher. …so it's like being IN the world but not OF the world. We need to be around the unsaved, so do our children, but we need to take responsibility for teaching our children about Christ EVERYDAY, just like He wants us to learn from Him everyday. Fill them up so much with the good, that they will not be tempted to stray to the bad. 
Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way He should go; even when he is old he shall not depart from it."

When a lovely couple I met a few years ago felt called into missionary work in a dangerous part of the world, I remember thinking, how could they do that? They have 3 young children! Then after God radically changed my life, I realized that they were following the command God had given THEM, for THEIR life. Their children were just as much called to that life as they were, and THAT'S OK. God will take care of them. He has a plan. And if something terrible did happen to one or all of the children, it would be part of a predestined plan. A plan for His glory to be revealed through the lives of those kids.

Believers, we must be OK with God's plan, no matter how it looks. No matter what might happen. He is good. He has reasons. Good reasons for His glory. We need to live out the belief that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, BLESSED be the name of the Lord. (Job 1:21)

If anything, I hope this crazy idea of transgender bathrooms gets christians to pray and seek the Lord on what He wants for them and their kids. I hope it brings every christian parent to that place where they can say, "My child is completely in Your hands Lord. I trust You to keep them safe when I cannot. And if something bad does happen to them, I trust that You know what you are doing and I praise you no matter what."

I may not know what God wants me to do for my kids in regards to this issue yet, but I can tell you that I trust them in HIS hands way more than my own. He is perfect and I just want to be obedient to what He has planned for MY family, so that we can be used WHEREVER He leads us for His kingdom. 

It's not about us. It's not about living in a safe, protected christian bubble. It's about love and obedience, and taking up your cross. Sure you might be able to take up your cross, but are you letting your child take up theirs? You cannot carry your child's cross for them. After all, God sent His Son did He not?

Let's sock one at the devil today by not getting angry and lashing out at the world, and creating even more reasons for the lost to never give Jesus a shot. Let's retreat into His Word, pray without ceasing, and obey what He tells us to do, no matter what that is. 

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (ESV)