I sincerely hope that you family is honoring Mother's Day by giving you praises, tokens of appreciation-- flowers, brunch or a bauble or two. No matter what our addict children are going through, we still love them. Unconditionally.
At church, today, the message was focused on being a mom. Of course, it would be! It's Mother's Day.
Matthew 15: 21-28
The Faith of a Canaanite Woman
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”
23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
If you don't read the bible-- or don't believe in it-- the Reader's Digest Condensed version of what this scripture means is that the "dogs" is referring to the "Gentiles". This scripture really touched my heart and soul. What I got from this, is that I do believe that my faith (and I am a Jesus Loving, Bible Believing Christian) and my persistent prayers for my son have been answered. More importantly, this scripture reminds me that even just a crumb of faith-- and you don't necessarily have to be a devout church-going Christian-- but to just believe and trust and pray-- prayers can be answered. All we need to do is "ask". We cannot receive what we don't ask for.
As Pastor reminded us-- being a young person, today, is more difficult than ever. My son has so many bad influences all around him. Come to think of it, so do I! Today's generation is so desensitized by profanity, sex and drug use on television, in movies, books and magazines. As Christians, we are under attack. Without my faith, I would be weak against all the temptations that surround me, every day.
As I bowed my head, in prayer, I gave a heartfelt thank you to God for all that He has done for my son. Sometimes, when I reflect back on the last few years, I know that I could not have endured the heartache and fear without my faith in Jesus Christ.
My blog has been such a comfort to me-- it became a place where I could vent, cry, complain and share my deepest and most personal feelings. I met some wonderful people, who supported me through all of this.
Today, my son is clean and he is employed. I received a beautiful bouquet of roses and my favorite chocolates from B. That means more to me than I had imagine.
It means that my son is alive.
It means that my son has money to buy things--and it's not drugs-- and that he earned that money with hard work, and honesty.
It means that my son took the time to buy something for his mom.
Today-- this Mother's Day-- I feel an emptiness and sorrow that my mother has been gone for ten years. I no longer have a mother to call, and invite to brunch. Now, I am a mom, and it's my turn. I have to take all that my mother taught me, pick what's best and let go of what isn't-- and try to be a positive influence on my son.
I will continue to be a praying mom. I'm so thankful that I never gave up on my son. He's made mistakes, and he will always fight that demon of drug addiction. I do believe that he has found happiness and has surrounded himself with new friends, who aren't addicts. Amen.
Today, I lift up in prayer, those of you moms whose children can't call you-- be it from jail, or that they are no longer with us. I pray for you moms, whose kids are somewhere, and you cannot call them. I pray for you moms, who are just beginning my journey-- for your fears, pain and anguish. I know it well.
May God give each of you the strength, courage and wisdom that you need to find serenity in acceptance. May your addict come home to you-- and be free of those demons that destroy our joy.
Never give up. Pray. Believe. Hope.
God does answer prayers. I know this. I am living it.
Happy Mother's Day
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