A Piece of My Heart

It is not supposed to be this way! It's time to let one of my lambs out of the pasture and find his way, but this is not happening in a way that is peaceful, nor hopeful, humanly speaking. My lamb is 19 and feels ready to face the wolves and thorns out there.

Deep down inside, I know he is not ready.

He may end up on a steep precipice bleating for help.

Parenting these lambs is so difficult. I want to be that person reaching down to save him. I want to keep him from falling any farther. My heart breaks as choices are made despite the edge he sees. There is no face to this man reaching down to help, but I know the only face that belongs to him. My God. My Savior. My Shepherd. At times my belief that he will be saved waivers. My hope diminishes.

This week I heard a message about 1 Corinthians 13 expounding on what true agape love is. My whole life I have heard sermons describing love. I have attended wedding after wedding where this Scripture was read aloud. Beautiful.

But, listen to this. LOVE BELIEVES ALL THINGS! LOVE HOPES ALL THINGS!

Emotions entangle truth. They drown it out altogether sometimes. So I have to go back to the Word that is the Breath of Life. The Bread that satisfies. The Living Water that quenches. I must believe because I love. I must hope because I love.

The pig sty may have a new visitor eventually. But I BELIEVE that God will pluck him out and set him on the road back home. I have hope in my Heavenly Father.

The skies have flown him to another state all together. I thought there would be no goodbyes. No see you laters. No hugs. No thank yous. No peace. But at least, I did get a hug with a mumbled, "I love you too."

My God's people are everywhere. My prayer during this separation is that God will search him out and not let him rest. That God will be the Hound of Heaven pursuing him at every turn.

Please pray for him too.

Loving Through the Tough Times

I can't reiterate enough how important it is to keep loving our kids through the difficult and trying years. This is where God has me learning right now. Life is so complicated, but I am confident of one thing.

God loves His disciples through all their sin and rebellion. 

And so must we.

I read this amazing and timely blog today and was so encouraged to keep learning to love.

I want my children to know that no matter what decisions they make, I am their mama and that will never change. Yes, we have had to confront sin as sin, but I pray that I can love just the same as if they were living for the Lord.

(Sorry if this mantra is too often repeated as I write. I'm preaching to the choir.)

God help me to love like he does.

We are all a Prodigal at One Time or Another

Facing day to day the reality of what has happened to our family makes me examine my relationship with my spiritual Daddy. I am rebellious and love the world more than Him way too often. This song is for me as well as my Hoss.

Parenting a Prodigal

This week "Mr. Cartwright" and myself listened to a CD put out by Family Life Today.

Phil Waldrep speaks candidly about parenting prodigals. He speaks with sensitivity and, yet, brings forth scriptural truths as the key to dealing with hurt, deceit and exhibiting unconditional love toward the prodigal.

I am so thankful for people the Lord Jesus equips in the body of Christ to challenge specific areas in our lives.

Parenting Prodigals Session 1

Parenting Prodigals Session 2

Please pass this on to all who can be encouraged.

Advice From a Once Prodigal

Abraham Piper....the name may ring a bell.

He is the son of John Piper.

He is the son of Noel Piper.

He wrote thesewords that have encouraged me today.

The Great God

The Great God

O Fountain of All Good,

Destroy in me every lofty thought,

Break pride to pieces and scatter it to the winds,

Annihilate each clinging shred of self-righteousness,

Implant in me true lowliness of spirit,

Abase me to self-loathing and self-abhorrence,

Open in me a fount of penitential tears,

Break me, then bind me up;

Thus will my heart be a prepared dwelling for my God;

Then can the Father take up his abode in me,

Then can the blessed Jesus come with healing in his touch,

Then can the Holy Spirit descend in sanctifying grace;

O Holy Trinity, three Persons and one God,

Inhabit me, a temple consecrated to thy glory.

When Thou art present, evil cannot abide;

In thy fellowship is fullness of joy,

Beneath thy smile is peace of conscience,

By thy side no fears disturb,

No apprehensions banish rest of mind,

With thee my heart shall bloom with fragrance;

Make me meet, through repentence, for thine dwelling.

Nothing exceeds thy power,

Nothing is too great for thee to do,

Nothing too good for thee to give.

Infinite is thy might, boundless thy love,

Limitless thy grace, glorious thy saving name.

Let angels sing for

sinners repenting,

prodigals restored,

backsliders reclaimed,

Satan's captives released,

blind eyes opened,

broken hearts bound up,

the despondent cheered,

the self-righteous stripped,

the formalist driven from a refuge of lies,

the ignorant enligtened,

and saints built up in their holy faith.

I ask great things of a great God.

~from the Valley of Vision

Be encouraged, child of God. He is able to do above all we can imagine.