When my oldest daughter was in high school she under the strictest of strict curfews. We quickly learned that she did not have an inner “grandma” where she wanted to come home early. She easily would have been gone for three to five business days had we not given her a line in sand. She was a social butterfly and she was available for all of the shenanigans that high school had to offer. We were pretty blessed that she didn’t get into too much trouble, but sis loved to stay out.
Fast forward to the years of single parenting my youngest daughter. She was born with an “inner grandma” that often made her come home early. As soon as her high school years came about, she just always came home at a decent time. More times than not, it would be way before a curfew would have been enacted.
Sometime during her sophomore year she asked me, in front of her friends, why she didn’t have a curfew. I looked at her and stared for a while and simply said, “I really don’t know, it’s almost like the Holy Spirit just sends you home.”
It caused a great chuckle amongst the girls. One even said, “I wish my mom would tell me that.” It may have become the but of many jokes but deep down that was the only explanation I could think of. I constantly pray for both of my daughters and all of their friends. I pray for Holy Spirit wisdom so it completely made sense to me.
Homecoming week of her junior year all of the kids were planning their week full of tomfoolery even though there was homework to be done and volleyball games to be played. This did not stop the mischievous children from living their best life that week. After a few days of rolling houses, my youngest decided to tell me that she was going to be out later than normal. There was a special house that they could only “hit” after midnight.
I politely reminded her that it was a school night and she has been out the previous few nights. I could tell by her demeanor that she was not agreeing with my potential rules. We bickered back and forth like a normal mother-daughter but she was relentless. After a while she looked at me and said, “What happened to you letting the Holy Spirit tell me when to come home?”
The blood in my body immediately turned to its Zwolle Hot Tamale roots and wanted to choose anger. How dare she use the Holy Spirit against me? My mouth wanted to choose from my library of four letter words but a sudden calm came over me. She wasn’t testing the Holy Spirit, she was testing me. After a few deep breaths, I chose gentle parenting and simply said, “You know what? You are exactly right. The Holy Spirit has been the most amazing coparent all of these years and he has never let me down since I became a single parent. So yes, you are right. The Holy Spirit will indeed send you home when it is an appropriate time.”
Complete silence fell over my home as her face took on a proud look. She retreated to her room to get ready, I retreated to the dirty dishes. As I washed pot after pot and plate after plate I noticed she had not come back through the kitchen. All of the dishes were dried and put away, still not a peep from the daughter. I made my way to living room to relax with the remote when all of the sudden she came out of her room in her pajamas. Quizzically I looked at her…and before I could open my mouth she said, “I am so tired I can barely keep my eyes open.”
She never admitted that it was a divine intervention from her step-parent, the Holy Spirit. She made it sound as if it was her decision to stay home. She didn’t have to elaborate. I knew where this mini-blessing came from. It was the sweetest reminder to me that when we put our complete blind faith in Lord, he takes care of every single detail of our lives that we surrender to him. This incident cemented my faith and is a constant reminder that I am not parenting alone. I am not a single parent with no one to rely on for the tough parenting moments that befall all of us. If you are a single parent I want to encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom while raising your children. Nothing can compare to the wit and wisdom that comes from above.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” – John 14:26
