God’s Will for Your Child

Hi, I’m Joni Tada, and every parent wants the best for his child, right? 

Sure they do. Sure you do! It’s why my own parents put me through piano lessons, art lessons, Girl Scouts, violin lessons when I was in elementary school, tennis lessons later on, and yes, even ballet lessons. It’s a shame I became a quadriplegic because my parents invested an awful lot in my love for music, and athletics, and the fine and performing arts. We all want the best for our kids.  

I was thinking of this very thing the other week when I was reading in Matthew 20. Starting with the 20^th verse, there is recorded a pretty unusual conversation between Jesus and the mother of James and John. Now you have to remember, this is a mother talking. Even still, listen to the request, because it says, “Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him…‘Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.’ Jesus said, ‘You don’t know what you’re asking. Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?’ ‘We can,’ they answered. Then Jesus said to them, ‘You will indeed drink from my cup….’”  

Well, the mother of James and John asked the Lord to bestow honor on her sons. That’s pretty simple and straightforward, right? But Jesus told her they would drink from the same cup as his. Now, no one knows if she realized that Jesus was describing his cruel death. We don’t even know if she understood that this meant martyrdom for her sons. What we do know is, this mother is not unusual. Every parent wants to see his child promoted and honored. But here’s the thing; here’s the point I want to get across – God may have a different plan for that child, perhaps one not as glamorous or as full of accolades. So, as a result, always a parent’s desire for a child’s advancement must be held in check as mom and dad pray that God’s will be done in their child’s life.  

Somehow I believe the mother of James and John ended up understanding this. Because when you flip over to Matthew 27 it says, “Many women were there [at the cross]. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene … and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.” 

Did you get that? The mother of James and John was one of those few who remained by the cross of Jesus when he died. She saw firsthand what Jesus meant by “his cup.” She could put two-and-two together; she could connect the dots. She realized that this was the terrible cup that her Lord said her two sons would drink from. You have to believe that there at Calvary, she was struck with the hardships her sons were destined to face. Oh, the tenderness for Jesus that must have filled her heart. 

It’s something to remember if you are a mother or a father; remember this as you pray for your child and his future. Look, my own mother had to face it when I became a quadriplegic, and she realized that was God’s will for my life. And for you? Remember that your desire for your child’s advancement must always be held in check as you pray for God’s will to be done in your son or daughter’s life. God has a cup, a special and personal cup for each one of us – even for your child. This is Joni Eareckson Tada, and I want to thank you for spending these few minutes with me today because God’s will really is, as Romans 12 puts it – his will is good and acceptable and perfect, no matter what that cup is filled with. So pray for your child, but always pray, keeping in check your will for him, and allow God’s will to shine through. 

© Joni and Friends