A few years ago, my son, who had just started the second grade, was playing in the backyard when I arrived home. My wife approached me and asked me to read a story he had written for school. Second-grade stories are incredible, so I was thrilled until I began reading. His story was about us moving to another state two months earlier. Here it is:

Once upon a time, when I got home from school, my dad called me over and my sisters. I thought to myself, “I bet my sisters did something.” When we sat down, my dad said, “We are moving.” I got so mad, but when I calmed down, I wondered, “Why do we have to move?” I asked my dad, “Why do we have to move?” He said, “Because I feel like that’s where Jesus wants us to go.” Then he said, “You have to go.” So, when we moved and we went into that house and looked around, it was time to go to bed. I thought, “This house is a good house for me and my sisters and parents.”

Aspects of this story and my conversation with him make me proud. Other aspects make me sad. Here’s why:

1. He assumed his sisters did something wrong, and not him. Now, that’s funny.

2. My 7-year-old accepted that the call to follow Jesus was more important than comfort.

3. He didn’t give in to his feelings but processed.

4. I didn’t realize he was still processing. I should not have assumed so much.

5. What brought him a degree of peace after moving was knowing that his family was secure in a good environment.

Watching your family sacrifice for decisions you make as a parent is incredibly difficult. I’m thankful, in this circumstance, my child realized the decision was made out of a desire to follow Christ. He struggled extensively with the consequences of my “good” decision. It was a long process for him to get to the place where he could truly see Christ in this midst of it all.

As I watched my son in the midst of his struggle, I realized I could learn from him. Just as I placed my son in a position he didn’t understand and asked him to trust me, God, as my Heavenly Father occasionally puts me in similar situations. These situations are often painful from my limited perspective and bring me to question, “Why?” As my Father takes me down life’s uncertain roads, I pray he will help me to respond by trusting him even when it doesn’t make sense to me, believing that the home at the end of the line is worth the journey.