Brynley's Not Going To Be Happy

Today is an exciting day for our family...our granddaughter is going to start her first day ever to a Mother’s Day Out program. Unfortunately for her, I don’t think she will have the same excitement that I have about her first day of school. Brynley is very attached to her mom and does not like it when mom is not close by. She will be going through the dreaded “separation anxiety.” Every child goes through it at some point, but most of them adjust quickly to the circumstances. I’m really questioning if Brynley will fall into that category. You see, Brynley is the only grandchild for both sides of her family. She is always with adults and she rules when she is around. She brings so much joy and laughter into our lives, and she is really smart and entertaining. Still, she’s also very good at letting you know what she doesn’t want. She will hold up her hand, shake it, and say no, making sure you understand that she is not in the mood for what you want to do. On top of that, it’s not very pleasant when Brynley goes to her nursery class on Sundays because she wants to be with her mom. We all know Brynley needs to work through this, so the decision was made that she would attend Mother’s Day Out for the rest of its summer session.

I remember when Krystal, Brynley’s mom, was five and getting ready to begin kindergarten. She was so excited and had worked through the separation stuff much earlier in her life. With Tami and me in full-time ministry, she was always handed off to adults when we were working at the church. So she was excited as we went to school that first morning. Our family all walked Krystal to school and to her class, and she sat with all the other first-day students while the parents stood around outside of the class. Sounds like a beautiful setting—until you learn that over half the students were crying, the moms were crying, and to me it was a very funny scene. Krystal was in shock and looked to us because she didn’t know if she should cry or not. We assured her everything was fine, and she went on and had a great first day of school.

As a Christian, I want my life to make a difference in the lives of others. To do that I must be willing to step out into uncomfortable territory. That means I may have to face my own type of separation anxiety because I like the normal and comfortable. Life is about taking steps of faith, and it’s the same for anyone who is going to do anything great for the Lord. Stop making excuses and waiting until you feel like you’re ready. What can you do today to step out in faith and impact a life?