We All Have A Stake In This Life
A mom's request for prayer for her teenage son inspired this blog. He was struggling with his identity and being bullied. Bullies aren't new, but social media multiplies their menacing words and images. What to do as a parent or friend? It's natural to want to retaliate or overprotect. So, how to help?
Years ago, when I was a young mom, friends invited me to a retreat in Michigan. It was more TREAT than retreat. And time with friends and listening to Jill Briscoe was just what I needed. Jill shared some of her struggles as a parent, and her bent towards being a perfectionist..
When her firstborn entered the wild world of adolescence, Jill panicked. Then her husband shared an illustration, likening an adolescent to a plant experiencing a growth spurt. The plant/teen doesn't need our fears or tendency to overtend. What's needed is a stake.
Why a stake? Well, a stake provides sustenance and support. Both are needed when a plant or person starts to change in sometimes surprising and alarming ways. Which, I'm realizing is where I am at this stage of life. I'm not growing up but growing old and feeling a shift from being the stake to needing stakes to provide sustenance and support as life and my body change in surprising and alarming ways.
So I have more in common with my teenage Grands than they realize. But we have a stake in each other. And I'm not just talking about my Grands and me. Part of the gift of family, friends and community is to provide sustenance and support for each other.
And this leads me to thank you for reading this blog. You are some of God's sacred stakes for me, as I age. Speaking of aging, Chris sent this:
Question: How do I know when I'm officially considered old?
Answer: Just fall down. If people laugh you're young. If they panic, you're old."
For sure, we all have a stake in this life.
And some stakes resemble canes.
Wouldn't want to fall and cause panic.
Or a comedy of errors.