By Mike Ennis, Faith Community Fellowship – Springville Campus
There is hope in every situation. Life events can be devastating and we can end up living realities we never imagined. I believe one of the most challenging of circumstances is when one finds themselves being a single parent. There are so many difficulties faced by single parents. However, even in what can seem impossible circumstances, there is HOPE!
Terri’s story below is very real but you’ll see the hope she found. Keep reading….
No one sets a goal in life to be a single parent. But when life choices happen and decisions are made, there seems to be no other way out. Parenting is hard enough with two people and the only way that parenting changes when you become single again is that you are doing it all alone. That adds on a few more challenges as well. I am a single mom of two. A few of the challenges I face as a single parent are self-guilt, making important decisions alone stress and anxiety of being the sole financial provider and instilling discipline. However, the biggest challenge I face is spending time with my children and having self-doubt that I was doing the parenting thing right. It feels that I spend all of my time working two jobs to take care of our needs. That takes away from me spending time with them, helping them with their homework, taking them and their friends out and about. Learning how to do these things on your own and learning how to thrive as a single parent requires a few things: knowing you are not alone, setting yourself free from guilt, taking care of yourself (you can not take care of anyone else if you are sick) and learning to lean on others. I realized early on that none of those things are even possible until I learned to trust God IN everything and FOR everything. I’m learning that what the Bible says is true, “nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37) I now know that EVERYTHING I need is in Him. Two of my favorite verses: Phillipians 4:6, “Do not worry about anything, instead pray about everything” and Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, they are plans for good and not for harm.” I can only hope that I have imprinted these on my children’s hearts.
Being a single parent is a daunting task. For all those who find themselves in that situation, I respect you and honor you. I want to also assure you that not only are you loved by many, but there is a God that knows you and loves you. Just as Terri discovered; all you need, you can find in Him. Also, and very important, if you don’t have a church family, there are a number of churches in our community that love you and can be a great source of strength and help. I am happy to help you connect with a church that will encourage you and meet your needs. You can connect with me at Mike@fcffamily.com. Just be confident in this: you are loved…you are going to be okay…and you are going to make it!
