Ecclesiastes 3:11
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has planted eternity in men’s hearts and minds, yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”
There is a time and season for all things. We cannot take or add to it. Changes in our lives do not always come instantly, but through a process and belief in the God of creation and of all time.
Lost in the deep canyon of destruction –
As a parent, the thought of losing one of my children into the deep canyon of rebellion was overwhelming. She fell so far away, I could no longer see her sweet smile or the twinkle in her eyes. As my arms reached deeper into the canyon to rescue her, I saw and experienced distance, a hardened heart, and rejection of my love for her. She was enticed and deceived into the counterfeit of God’s love and promises for her life. Instead of entering into the narrow gate leading to life, she chose the wide and spacious gate leading to despair and destruction.
When others would say to give up on her and the situation of the downward spiral of destruction, I wouldn’t. I kept standing, waiting, and watching along the dirty and dusty path, anticipating her return. I knew my heavenly Father understood the heart of a parent for a child. How often I wondered if his heart ached with each breath or if tears of sorrow fell softly as he watched from afar the suffering of his beloved Son. He could have stopped it all! But, because He knows all things from beginning to the end, he held his hand back from rescuing Jesus until His time was perfect to unfold the beauty and understanding of the bloody scourging, painful suffering, and sorrow of the Cross.
Sometimes, the beauty of God’s timing is not realized in our earthly life. Jesus prayed for his cup of suffering to be taken from him. But, through his faithfulness, obedience, and oneness with the Father, the beauty of His Honor and Glory was to be perfected and realized through his suffering, sorrow, and death. Then, God replaced the crown of thorns with a crown of pure gold upon Christ’s head as King of Kings and Lord of all.
Never underestimate a praying parent’s heart –
Prayer was and continues to be the answer for me, to keep knocking even when the door does not seem to be opening. Then the key to the door has been to wait. Wait with patience and rest because the Lord knows my need before I ask. Sometimes the answers come quickly. Other times, he’s silent as the waiting turns into years. It doesn’t matter, I’ve learned to wait, faithfully.
At first, my prayers were asking how I could help and save her from the downward spiral. The more I tried and pursued her, the more desperate my pleas to the Lord. The answer came when I reached the edge of the cliff of my striving to fix the situation to no avail. The Lord said, “Finally, you’ve reached the point where I can work to change her life as you move out-of-the-way of My plans for her life.”
As my striving ceased and I truly rested in Him, I moved out-of-the-way. I released everything to the Lord and waited, and waited, and waited as the transformation began to unfold. The burden of the what ifs was released from my heart and lifted from my shoulders as I patiently watched for several years as the Lord transformed her life.
Through the years, very little has been mentioned of my daughter’s ill choices she chose to journey into. The dark canyon of despair, destruction, and rebellion is a place neither one of us care to journey back to.
This last Mother’s Day she gifted me with a card. How did Hallmark know these words would be part of our life’s journey? More important, God knew for he makes all things beautiful, In His Time, by CRC Worship ( Please listen)
I will always be grateful the Lord allowed me to experience and realize the beauty of this part of my journey in this lifetime, as my striving ceased and my heart rested in His will. It was a lesson of twelve years in prayer, waiting, and watching. It was worth waiting for!
Bless you!
healingoftheheart 
Being torn like that is no easy task. Every parent with a rebellious child goes through this struggle — do I intervene and make things worse? Do I step back and let me come to their own conclusions by destruction? I am so happy for your daughter’s return — and for her love for you.
LikeLike
Thanks David,
Also, thanks for your friendship and words of encouragement. When I struggle to find “balance” as you posted earlier, your comments and encouraging words are the pearls helping me not to give up. Have a great Sunday!
LikeLike
Wow! This message is so awesome! Thank you!
LikeLike
Thank you, Cindy!
Yes, I know you can certainly understand and you are most welcome.
Bless you and hope you are having fun in Florida!
LikeLike
Bernie, I was so touched by your posting. I am never on FB but when I got the notice of your posting I was drawn to reading it. The straying child never realizes the pain but your words are exactly what I needed to hear. My oldest is struggling to find his way and you have given me hope that my prayers will be answered. I am trying to rest in His protective arms and know that in His time things will be as they should. Thank you for the encouragement from a long lost friend. How’s the cycling?
LikeLike
Hello Mary!
From a long lost friend? Never, I always have and I always will value our friendship. Time and distance does not matter. How often I think of you, Kathy, Judy, and even Tammy. Thank you for your comments. Jesus gave us a new command, “love”. We are to love others as He has shown His love to us. The rest is in the Father’s hands to change the heart and direction. I will being praying with you for your son.
I haven’t been on FB much, either. If you notice, I don’t even have a face posted! However, I was instructed to get out there more, so here I am! Still not excited about the exposure, but I am so glad it worked this time! Please let’s get together. I still live at the same address if you would like to send me your address and phone #. I am still riding my bike, but this year it is accumulating a bit of dust.
Would love to hear more, and more, and more!
Bless you in Christ,
Bernie
LikeLike
Beautiful, bpfshg! In its time! Yes, fight for your children! (On your knees – PRAYER!) This is a war for their souls – a spiritual battle! (Ephesians 6:12-13 NKJV: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.)
LikeLike
Mary, thanks for your words of encouragement!
You have always been an example of a prayer warrior for your kids.
What a blessing both of your sons are walking with the Lord.
We need to get together, it’s long over due.
LikeLike
“As my striving ceased and I truly rested in Him, I moved out-of-the-way. I released everything to the Lord and waited, and waited, and waited as the transformation began to unfold.”
I think this is the key to everything we pray for; get out of the way and allow God to work!
Excellent post!
LikeLike
Hello BIll,
Thank you, so much, for your response. Your reply is something I know you understand very well.
Since you started following my blog in June, the Lord has put you constantly in my thoughts, my heart, and my prayers. I have a sense your journey has taken you deep, very deep into the Beautiful, far more than most understand. The Lord has taken you through the Gate, through the courtyard covered in grace into the very deep and intimate wisdom of His Words and Truth. You have passed through the Door, taken in the Life of Christ and shared the journey of suffering. Yet, He has brought you to a place of favor, upon Holy Ground and His Mercy Seat. Very few find such favor in His presence. It is a place of humilty and awe to be before Him in such a way. I sense you are engulfed in His presence. May He continue to breathe His Life in you as you share His amazing love for His creation.
My prayers are with you and will continue to be through John 15:7.
Blessings in Christ, Numbers 6:24-26
Bernie
LikeLike
Thank you so much for that encouraging word, Bernie. I love the two passages you cited. I imagine that your trials have also brought you closer to Christ. Isn’t it amazing that even in the midst of trials and heartache somewhere deep inside of us there remains a knowing that God is good? There have been times that’s the only hope I could hold onto, but it’s enough to pull us out of even the deepest despair.
LikeLike