 |
|
|
It was another late night as the four children silently waited for their parents to arrive home. The three girls and boy are not all connected to one another by blood, but by the marriage of their parents. The dim outside light allows them to watch their drunken parents finally stumble down the walkway toward the house. Once they are inside, the four return alone to their perspective bedrooms tormented by their own thoughts and feelings. Every Friday it’s the same routine. Will it ever end?
“I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet….”
The youngest girl decides it is time for her to move in with her father. The constant bickering with her mother, the persistent sexual harassment by her stepfather, and her fear regarding her future, drive her to insist on new living arrangements. Unaware of what his daughter has endured, the father welcomes his daughter into his home. The teenager struggles for peace and rest. She wonders if she will be able to attain it.
“But one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind….”
At sixteen she takes a leap of faith and decides to trust Christ as her Savior. With a new focus on life, she makes new friends, attends Bible studies, and tries to overcome her insecurities. However, every visit with her mother drags her into a pit of despair. She works for the love and approval of her mother only to be bombarded with further criticism. She doesn’t seem to be able to do anything right for her mother.
“And reaching forward to what lies ahead…”
Depression swallows her. She battles to release her past, but is haunted by the wounds that will not heal. She is ensnared in her pain and is blind to the ways it destroys her relationships. Somehow she manages to marry a godly man, but many years later when her father suddenly dies she discovers her husband is gone too. Her life is spinning out of control. What is she going to do?
“I press on toward the goal for the prize….”
Desperate for answers, she decides to claim the promises given to her throughout the Scriptures. She surrenders all areas of her life and wonders if the Lord will keep His promises if she places Him first in her life. She prays daily that she will love the Lord and obey Him, whether her marriage is saved or not. She seeks to align her heart with the Lord and prays to understand His love. She prays for a heart that honors the Lord and commits to purity in all areas of her life. She believes that with or without her marriage, peace can be a reality.
“The upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Through the cleansing power of the Word, this once frightened woman discovers she can control her thoughts, words and actions. She rises above her circumstances and the sinful choices of others. With the enabling power of the Lord, she finally begins to walk in relationships in more healthy ways. In time the Lord does save her marriage and enables her to let go of her past and enjoy her present.
Philippians 3:13-14, (NASB); personal testimony
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
|
|
|
