Today is Good Friday and all over the world Christians will gather to commemorate the death of Jesus Christ. Churches will be full of the faithful and the marginal (outside of Mother’s Day and Christmas Eve, Easter is the most attended church service) all participating in one of the most somber services on the calendar.

We learn from scripture that those closest to Jesus were scared and confused during the events of that first Good Friday. We also have no record of their activities that Saturday because they were hiding. They had lost hope and even though Jesus told them that things would be this way, they were disillusioned and ready to give up. They had lost sight of the fact that Jesus would rise again. They had forgotten that Sunday was coming.

Parenting can sometimes be like Easter. We can feel like we are stuck on Friday, or hide like it’s Saturday because we feel like we are without any hope, and completely lose sight of the fact that Sunday is coming too.

We have to remember that no matter how dark or hopeless a situation may seem at the time, there is a better day ahead. We have to be patient and remember that if feel like we are stuck living on Friday or Saturday, that our Sunday may not necessarily be there for us tomorrow…or next week…or next month…or next year. You get the point. We have to remember that Sunday is coming. We can’t lose hope and we can’t give up just because we can’t see what lies ahead.

So what are your Friday issues? What causes you to hide? We like those followers of old are not called to run or hide, we are called to be bold. We are called to love when it hurts, and to hold on when it seems like there is nothing to hold onto.

We’ve all been there. We’ve tried every strategy we know and still our child, won’t eat, or they still steal food, or they lie for no apparent reason, or they still don’t trust us. We have tried to connect, we have worked on the relationship in hopes that creating connection would make the other issues go away. Yet nothing seems to change, and we start to question if we’re connecting with them at all. We have to remember two things, our Fridays aren’t actually 24 hours long, and although it might seem like all hope is lost, it’s not, because Sunday’s coming.

Friday is about fear, and Saturday is about doubt, but Sunday is about joy. Our doubts and fears will soon turn to victories and cheers. Like their mourning turned to dancing and their weeping turned to singing, so too will our challenges turn to victories. When we find ourselves in those darkest of moments, and when we feel like all hope is lost we have to remember that rejoicing might only be days away.

Don’t give into your fears and doubts and don’t let hopelessness wash over you. There is hope and there is help. Two great places to start are Empowered to Connect and Tapestry. They have helped us move from Friday to Sunday with some of our kid’s struggles and helped us remember that Sunday’s coming.

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Ryan North

Ryan North is the Co-Founder of One Big Happy Home and creator of The Empowered Parent Podcast. He is a recognized expert on childhood trauma, a TBRI Practitioner, and develops training materials for parents, schools, churches, and child-placing agencies. Ryan is a sought-after speaker known for his engaging and practical approach to communicating complex issues clearly and relatable to a wide range of audiences.