Enjoying Each Stage of Life

Unbound sponsor Bridget Barry reflects on parents' universal need to rely on God's guidance as they make parenting choices.

For many families, the transitions between developmental stages — infancy, childhood, adolescence and the various phases of adulthood — are fraught with nervousness. We wonder if we’re doing everything right to prepare ourselves and those we love for what comes next, while trying to hold onto things that are good about the present.

We see this anxiety in both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. We see parents like Abraham and Sarah, and Joseph and Mary, surrendering their fears and relying on guidance from God to make good parenting choices, allowing them to trust that they and their kids will be OK.

Today, parents across the world still worry about their kids and hope they’ll continue to be OK as their lives evolve. It’s part of the deal with the deep, unconditional love that parents feel. And, like it was in the Scriptures, God’s love and support continues to be the antidote to that worry.

The connection between families in the Unbound community — including the connection between sponsors and their sponsored friends around the world — invites us all to recognize our common humanity and grow from it. By seeing our experiences reflected in each other, we learn how to best handle our common anxiety and enjoy the stage we’re in, without worrying as much about the future. These relationships bring us into the present, and closer to each other and God.

Click to tweet:
By seeing our experiences reflected in each other, we learn how to best handle our common anxiety and enjoy the stage we’re in. #catholicmom

Please pray with us:

Loving God, help each of us to enjoy our current stage of development. Help us to share the challenges of the present with others in ways that assuage anxiety. Help us trust in you as we navigate changes and continue to grow. Help us learn from the joys and struggles of other families as we age. In your name, we pray. Amen.

Copyright 2021 Bridget Barry
Images (from top): "Holy Family" by anonymous 18th-century Brazilian painter, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; copyright 2021 Unbound.org, all rights reserved