It was the moment I had been dreading for almost a year.

We had gotten into Lawrence about noon and fought through the traffic jam around the Daisy Hill dorms. We climbed five flights of stairs over and over again in the sticky summer heat, unloading boxes of books and dishes, bags of linens and clothes. Then we went for a late lunch and ran some errands, buying a few things we hadn’t packed, delaying our departure.

But suddenly it was upon us. I gave Rebekah a quick hug so she couldn’t see the tears in my eyes and said I’d talk to her later. Then Shawn and I hopped in the Durango and drove off. It was a quick parting because it was too hard to prolong it. Like a Band aid, you just want to rip that sucker off. I couldn’t bear a long goodbye.

This wasn’t my first “drop and dash” of leaving a kid at college, so I knew what to expect. We took Rachel to College Station three years ago, and it was hard. Well, it didn’t get any easier the second time around. If anything, it was more gut-wrenching because I had more of an idea what that hole in our home would be like.

I still have one more chickadee in my nest, so I’m still in the trenches of day-to-day parenting: homework struggles, chore nagging, and striving to be on time to piano lessons. I’m reminding myself to enjoy the moments because they are fleeting (or to say under my breath, “this, too, shall pass”).

At the same time, Shawn and I are trying to parent our college girls from afar because–GUESS WHAT?– they still need help to grow into responsible adults. Questions, suggestions, and a listening ear have replaced a lot of the rules and demands for them to listen to us.

The parenting journey hasn’t gotten a whole lot easier, just different. The big change? We have very little control over what happens to college kids who are 200 or 500 miles away. It’s enough to make a mom mope.

This is where faith found me. The week I was taking Rebekah to KU, I just happened to be on the section about faith in “The Purple Book: Biblical Foundations for Building Strong Disciples.”

This was a book recommended at my church, Northwood. At first, I thought it was good stuff for baby Christians but not all that compelling for someone who’d been a believer for more than 30 years. I was wrong. The whole book is looking up a lot of Bible verses and writing short responses. God’s word is “living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword (Heb. 4:12).” Whenever you’re in God’s word with an open heart and mind, expect to get called out.

Quite a few of those verses whopped me up side the head. I’ll pull out just a few.

What is faith? “The reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” -Heb. 11:1

Faith is a choice to believe God and trust in His Son, Jesus (Gal. 2:16).

“Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have also obtained access through Him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” – Rom. 5:1-2

From faith in Christ come peace with God, grace that keeps me standing when otherwise I would be knocked flat, and joy in the hope of God’s glory, even in the moment you drive away from your baby. God can be glorified in me when I trust Him with these monumental changes. He has wonderful plans for my girls (Jer. 29:11), and I can trust Him with their futures.

Change is a constant part of life, and whether you’re 18 or 48 or 81 you have a choice. Will you choose worry and fear or believe that God’s got your back no matter what?

Here’s another passage that grabbed me and won’t let loose:

“For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now commands are not a burden, because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. And who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” – 1 John 5:3-5

The day before I left for Lawrence, I wrote in my Purple Book, “I am reminded that faith leads to obedience. Faith conquers the world. Love is connected to faith and faith to obedience and obedience to victory.”

Even though my role as a mom is in transition, God still has plenty for me to do. My faith in Him grows as I keep His commands. The more I love Jesus and do what He calls me to do, the more I conquer the fear and sin that can trip me up. I trust God with my future and the futures of my children, so I keep following His lead through the changes.

God’s got my back, no matter what. That, my friends, is victory.