Making room for JOY!
For parents of a prodigal, one of the rewards of surrendering our loved one to God is that we no longer have to be filled with panic, making room for joy. What a shame it would be if we would let the enemy rob of us of our joy in living. Afterall, we are standing in the gap; waiting on God to do His work--we shouldn't allow the enemy to take one more thing!
With the wedding of our daughter last summer, I experienced an incredible revelation of faith. I was determined to not allow any disheartening thing disrupt her very special day. Still, we all wanted our son to be an integral part of this cherished family event. This was risky business! Even in the prodigal parable (Luke 15: 11-32), we read that the son who stayed with the father did not understand the prodigal. This tension alone is worthy of another post!
My heart wept as my prodigal stood alongside my daughter's groom; so handsome in his tuxedo--tatoos proudly displayed. My heart was warmed with each smile and loving touch he extended to those who have watched him grow to a strapping 6 foot 4 inch young man. My heart rejoiced knowing that many in the cathedral sanctuary pray for him daily. My family was whole that day....for a brief moment in time.....my family was restored.
As my son toasted the bride and groom at the reception, my heart lept as I thought, "What a banquet we will have!" As I danced with my son that night, I began to imagine the celebration of joy we will experience the minute, the very moment he runs home. It was as if my heart understood God's heart. Luke 15: 20 says, "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." We may still have a long way to go before he runs home, but that night, dancing with my arms around the shoulders of my prodigal, I did not feel the hopelessness of the wait; I felt JOY!
17 comments:
Oh, what a lovely picture... and everyone looks so happy! Praise God for the joy you found this day!
Beautiful pic and nice post!
Email me your address darlin, so I can get your book out to ya-visit my site to pick out which book you want!!!
lbraendle@aol.com
-Lisa
what a sweet, mother's heart you have!
(gorgeous pic!)
Isn't it great to know that we can find joy through our trials. What do people without Christ do?
THAT was an awesome post! I am so glad you came by. I can't wait to catch up on yours!!
What a precious day you had. I'm glad you were able to find joy in the midst of your storm.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today! It's always so fun to find new bloggers – especially ones who share my faith.
In answer to your question, we did get the storm! Looks like there's another one brewing tonight too. Hope you make it to FL safely and have a great time!
Very sweet post, and while I was here I prayed you would experience this joy soon.
I ran acrossed your blog just looking at others. I enjoyed reading. WOW! It is hard to "let go and let God". I've had to learn that myself. And my children are still young. I can only imagine what it will be like when they get older. Come visit my blog sometime. You are inspiring to me. I want to be one of those parents that will still dance with my boy, even if he is not doing exactly what I think he should. My husband and I were not raised by parents like that, so that is my prayer.
Again, I enjoyed reading your blog. You will be in my prayers.
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. I'm glad I found yours. It's a lovely wedding photo, and I will pray for your son and you. My Renew group talked about prayer tonight and I'm going to start keeping a prayer list again. You're at the top.
Thanks for sharing your daughter's wedding photo. You have a beautiful family, and I know your son was blessed to be a part of that special day. I love how you chose to seize the joy of the moment,and now that you've written about it, you've allowed many more people the chance to experience that joy that comes through love and forgivenenss. God bless you!
Hi Diane,
I can't find your email addy on here anywhere. Pls email me at lbraendle@aol.com, so I know how to get your book to you-I can't post another book for the next contest until I know which one you want darlin'!!
Thx for your support!! And pray all is well with you & yours!
-Lisa
What a beautiful family. thanks for stopping by my blog. It is so hard to let them go, isn't it? thank God, He is in control. I'm praying for you, your family and your prodigal. God Bless
Wow. I just read your post, and it was if I were reading something my mom had written. About my own wedding. I'll have to read more.
Great insight. I really WILL have to read more. I can't imagine havign to let go of my boys someday, but that time will come.
Beautiful post! I have a friend who went his own way for a while. He'd been like a brother since we were born. I had to come to the point that I had to let go of trying to change him. After all, only God can do that. It was hard, I cried a lot. Lots of us gathered to pray together for him daily, and that night it was just me and my cousin Tracy. We both felt led to pray aloud, and we said pretty much the same thing. We asked God to do whatever it might take to bring my friend Josh back. That "whatever it takes" business is tough. After all, God's will can be a scary thought, though I know its best. Anyway, the next week my friend attempted suicide. He overdosed on heroine. However, God wasn't through with him, and he soon came to realize the need to once more make God number one in his life. It was an awesome service. The joy I felt that day was unexplainable. So just hold on. Things may get hard, but God IS STILL IN CONTROL! I'll be praying for your "prodigal."
I've read through your posts and love the way your have expressed your heart....very uplifting...
thanks for stopping by my blog; it's nice to meet you
How beautiful! I'm imagining the joy when he runs home! Thanks for this encouraging image.
Great pictures, and interesting website. I have mostly younger children and I wonder, are there things you would have done differently when he was a child? Not asking this to cause you guilt... just seeking guidance and hoping to avoid common pitfalls in parenting my own children... I love the Love and Logic books, BTW
Mary, mom to many
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