Consider the Wildflowers

Recently, I have been doing a Bible study on the book of Judges. If you are familiar with the book, you will know that Judges is basically this neverending cycle of Israelites going against God, doing evil, then crying out for help. God hears their cries, sends a Judge to help them come out of the dark and oppressive times only for them to fall back into the cycle over and over again. In today’s lesson, I am studying 4 powerful verses (Judges 14:1-4) that introduced Samson, the final Judge. Samson was born into a life blessed by God. His mother was given strict orders from God to follow during her pregnancy, and his parents trusted that God had a great plan for their son. As Samson grew into a young man, he began to explore the lives of the Philistines, who were unbelievers and basically forbidden to the Israelites due to their evil practices and worship of false gods. Samson, like many young adult males, let his eyes rather than his heart take over; he spotted a beautiful Philistine woman and decided he wanted her to be his wife. He told his Father to get her and bring her to him. Of course, Samson’s parents were probably not the least bit happy with their son’s choice. They questioned him and even asked if there was some other woman besides a Philistine that he could marry. But Samson was determined. He may have also been impulsive, demanding, and even a little spoiled (my opinion). He was going to marry this woman. He had made his plans and nobody was telling him any different.

I don’t know about you, but Samson sounds very familiar to me as a parent. The toddler in the grocery store demanding that toy on the endcap of aisle 8. The 13 year old refusing to do his homework because video games are more important. The 17 year old rebelling from any words of wisdom because that party will be too much fun to miss and that girlfriend is just too hot to not take back home for a couple hours unsupervised. They made their plans. They want what they want and in the moment, don’t think about any consequences that may come from their choices. I am positive that Samson’s parents were beside themselves with worry and frustration. They had raised Samson to be a man literally appointed by God. They had followed every rule God had given them from before conception until this point. How frustrating it must be to see their son gravitate toward this unbelieving town, lusting over a woman he is choosing seemingly on looks alone. I wonder if they felt like they had failed God. I know in that moment, I sure would have felt like that.

However, in just a matter of 4 verses, we already see that God is at work. Even though Samson’s parents were dealing with a difficult situation, God already had a plan and Samson marrying a Philistine woman was part of it.

As a mom, this part of the story was so reassuring to me. I am comforted in knowing that God already has my children’s lives planned out. Parenting is hard. Often you will feel like you are doing everything possible to raise these children up the “right” way, only for life to throw a curveball the size of Texas to make you feel like an utter failure. The truth is, God has entrusted you with these precious humans, that have their own brains and their own wills to choose right or wrong. We can instill words of wisdom, steer them to the right path, and pray continuously (as we should), but they will still make choices we don’t like. In times like these, we must have faith and “Give it to God.” If that seems impossible, here are some verses that hopefully will give you peace in whatever situation you are going through.

“A person’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

For Protection: “The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say concerning the Lord, who is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:1-2 **This entire Psalm is wonderful!

Parents, keep up the good work. Keep loving your kids and never quit teaching them the Word. They are listening, even if it seems like your parenting is falling on deaf ears. Never miss an opportunity to plant a seed of Truth in them. And NEVER quit praying for them. They are children of God and He has got everything under control!