The Art of Giving Your Family to God

By Megan Lacourrege

The recent loss of Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others in a helicopter crash has been heartbreaking. When these tragedies happen, we often find ourselves reflecting on our own lives. We may experience fear of our families enduring such tragedy. There may be gratitude for what we still have and terror in considering how we would manage without it.

As parents, we can put a lot of pressure on ourselves to keep our families perfectly safe. While we can take precautions and avoid negligence, there are many things we cannot control.

Experiencing miscarriage brought this to the fore of my life. In theory, my womb should have been the safest place on earth, and, in that moment, it wasn’t. I have never been so confronted by my lack of control.

This new year, I have been navigating the difficult waters of a new pregnancy, a pregnancy after loss, which has been an unavoidable crash course in handing my family over to God.

It is a lesson that I think is valuable for all parents; for me, right now, it’s a survival method. Every day it means acknowledging my family is a grace, a gift from God, and he is ultimately in control.

I remind myself of what I am (and am not) capable of. I have to take one day at a time, not dwelling too much on the past or the future. I pray. I remember that God’s plan is to bring us all together forever in the joy of heaven.

My previous loss may have led to a lot of trauma and heartache, but it has made me realize that I cannot put off the decision to actively put my family in God’s care.

I find comfort that God’s own mother, Mary, could not shield her child entirely from pain and harm, nor was she asked to. I am by no means perfect, but I hope by taking small steps each day, I can grow to be a mother who allows our good God to be the ultimate parent our family.