“But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.” Psalm 59:16-17
I was cleaning my house getting ready for company when the phone rang.
“Ma’am your son has been arrested for shoplifting.”
My whole world came to a standstill. The pain was excruciating, the shame unbearable, the isolation overwhelming.
What do you do with a son who is 17 and arrested for shoplifting? What do you do when he comes home and wants to go to a friend’s house? What did I want to do? Ground him for the rest of his life!
I knew rationally that it wasn’t my fault he had made this choice, but my emotion-wracked heart screamed just the opposite. “You’re a FAILURE! As a mom, as a person, as a follower of Jesus. Why did you ever think you could raise a child?”
My husband and I were so empty. There’s no manual for things like this. No guide book. No answers. No place to hide.
We had nowhere else to turn but God. The emptiness drove us to our knees.
And we discovered He was there for us every step of that difficult journey. He didn’t remove the pain, but He did fill us with His peace. He didn’t take away the brokenness, but He used it to turn our hearts towards Him. He didn’t absolve the consequences of my son’s actions, but God did work everything out for good!
I’ve learned to choose Jesus no matter what. It’s the only way to truly live!
Holy Spirit, we need You. Come and fill us with Your power. Be our Comforter. You don’t promise us an easy carefree life with no troubles, no pain, no sorrow. But You do promise to be with us. Teach us to turn to You, to depend upon Your strength and power as we journey this difficult road of life. We choose You! Amen.
Thought: Maybe you can relate to feeling like you’ve failed. The Bible never says that God won’t give us more than we can handle. But He does promise us His Holy Spirit to empower us to do what we cannot. How are you trying to handle the difficult situation in your life? Write out a prayer of surrender. Give everything over to God and choose to trust Him in your trial.
By Kristi Huseby
Used by Permission
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