“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
I have had a career where I have often had to confront parents or teens about their behavior. I’ve learned that things go better when covered with prayer. I recently found myself in a difficult situation as a therapist. I had to talk to a mother about some inappropriate parenting which included cussing at her teenager and hitting her with a shoe. The girl was in need of psychiatric help which the mother had been slow in arranging. I prayed hard before I invited the woman to the session and also before it took place. I was able to be supportive of her while also giving her direction as to parenting a child with psychiatric problems. God guided me on how to phrase things and affirm her for her declaration about how much she loved her kids and wanted the best for them.
I was reminded about another case, years ago when I was a CPS social worker, when a baby was removed from her mother’s care at birth because the baby had tested positive for drugs. The maternal grandmother yelled at me on the phone saying this wasn’t Nazi Germany and you couldn’t just take people’s children. She even got her own attorney. Since the mother lived with the grandmother, I had to do a home visit with both to see if they were making the improvements the court had ordered. This included drug testing and therapy for the mother as well as a parenting class. I prayed hard on the drive to the home and it went smoothly with the mother of the baby ultimately calming her mother down.
When faced with a difficult situation, feeling overwhelmed, or uncertain, remember that God is always there to talk to. I encourage you to bring your cares to God today in prayer and experience the peace of knowing God is working on your behalf.