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Key Bible Text
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

God Cares About … Prodigals (Part 3) (LifeLine, published 6/12/07)
Your overwhelming desire to see your prodigal come home
may be one of your greatest [spiritual] stumbling blocks.
- Praying Your Prodigal Home, Burr

A Personal Story…

When you love a prodigal, you have a laser-beam focus on the pain of his/her journey. Soon, your prodigal's experience becomes what Burr calls "a mountain in your life." After a decade of standing in the gap for my son, I realized that my emotional well-being and faith was suffering; as Burr suggests, I kept "crashing into that mountain until I [could finally come to the point] where I truly released him to God."

When life was going well, I believed I was a pretty good mom! Isn't it interesting that when things are under control, we succumb to the allusion that we are the controller. After years of trying to control my son's return home, one night, exhausted from the battle, I cried out to God...."Do something!" With a gentle, soothing, whisper, God replied, "Diane, I have been here waiting to do something, you must first take your hands so tightly off him so I can begin my work in him. Trust your son to Me."

Pray:
When you pray, do not pray horizontally concerning the circumstances of life, look up to the One who longs for all to know Him.

Serve:
Do not isolate in the pain of your prodigal's journey. Keep bearing fruit.

Give:
....the battle to Jesus. Stop chasing your prodigal; the father in the Parable of the Lost Son did not go after his son, he stayed while watching for his return.

Challenge:
As you endure the long wait of your prodigal’s return, your faith may seem small. Remember, it is because of Jesus that we can say to that mountain, "Be moved!"

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Collateral Damage: Part Three (originally published, 12/8/06)

Heartstrings

"Time was, when a tiny soul, Clothed with flesh and bone Entered my life and carved Its image upon my heart. What lies ahead? Asks my heart."

This is the quote I chose to display at the top of my template when I designed my blog. One of the most stunning awarenesses of my life has been the immediate and permanent creation of heartstrings at the birth of each of our children. Never could I have imagined that my heart would literally leap out of my mind, body and soul to touch the hearts of these precious gifts from God.

More shocking to me, was the realization that these heartstrings can be broken? Shocking? Does this statement reverberate "blasphemy?" How can a parent's heartstrings unravel; break and fray, losing it's grip of a one so deeply loved?

This seismic unraveling creates havoc in your life. At first you are not even aware it is happening. When the tremors come so fast and furiously that you can not help but notice, you hide in denial. How can a parent's heart close itself to it's own child? With the ripping of each layer of the cords strength, a new vulnerability exposes itself. The wear and tear of each fray weakens the stronghold of the cords center. How much longer will the connection endure?

Collateral damage (part one and part two) not only complicates your prodigals journey to home, it wreaks havoc on your heartstrings. Even when you have a finely-tuned plan to repair and strengthen them, you can feel the ripping and fraying with each new and sadly, repeated episode. Tear by tear you begin to realize that you are losing the image that so wondrously appeared in your heart so long ago.

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At the risk of having the longest post in the history of blogdom....here's my Thankful Thursday!

Today, in keeping with the theme of God Cares for Prodigals, I am thankful to have found at Groovy Old Lady, the 12 Ways to Love Your Wayward Child. Groovy Old Lady......blesses me with an endless wit and brilliant sense of humor; and still, when she posted this very-worth-a-visit list of 12 Ways to Love Your Wayward Child.....she lifted my spirits and my resolve like nothing else could. I am thankful that God uses the internet to speak to our hearts.