My child has left the path of safety
to follow that wicked one,
and the way back will be hard.
How many times has he blamed me
for the troubles in his life—
but I did not make this choice for him.My eyes want to cry.
My ears want to close.
My tongue wants to scream.
My mind wants to rewind.
My hands want to push.
My feet want to run.
My heart longs for something to numb the pain.But I have an opportunity
like never before
to show him the love of Christ.
I too have a choice—
what will it be?
No one said parenting would be easy, but wise parenting is possible only in the power of the Holy Spirit. The answers to all life’s troubles are in God’s Word. This is not a head-in-the-sand, pollyana attitude; it is the truth. Did my husband and I always do what was right regarding our children? No. We are not perfect. No one is. But we have sought to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Children have a will of their own. They make their own choices. But the seed of the Word has been planted, and our Father promises that His Word will not return void. I hold onto that with all my heart.
The only reason I’m sharing this at all is because I know other mothers are hurting too, and you also need to remember that God is our strength in time of trouble, and that our children always need to see the love of God in us, no matter what. After all, God loves you and me no matter what, not because we deserve His love. If we are to be like Christ, we need to give the same love we have received.
And not only do our hurting children need to see God’s love, but our spouses and other family members need to see that God is bigger than our problems.
Dark nights are an opportunity for Christ to shine brightly.
Let Christ be seen in you.
May Christ be seen in me.
What? know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost who is in you, whom you have of God, and you are not your own? For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
A poem in free verse written for Kate Motaung’s Five-Minute Friday: OPPORTUNITY
Copyright © 2019 Angela Umphers Rueger – All Rights Reserved
Photo taken at a rest area in North Carolina, 2011
The Abundant Heart 
I feel for you in this, Angela, so much. I’m in a similar situation.
But I hold onto Jer 31.17: “There is hope for your future,” declares the LORD, “And your children will return to their own territory.”
I hope you can too.
Liz
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I read all of Jeremiah chapter 31 today, and found it extremely uplifting. It gave me new hope. Thank you, Liz.
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I feel your pain in this. Remember Proverbs 22:6. Have faith. He will not forget what you have shown him. He just needs to find his own way. I pray God gives him the opportunity to find his way, and also for you to be there when he does with open arms. Remember the prodigal son? Blessing, Lynne
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Thank you, Lynne. Yes, I remember. And I am earnestly praying. He knows what’s right. Just now he is deliberately choosing to avoid it, but even those careful steps around the right tell me that his conscience is pricked.
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Thank you for so bravely and beautifully sharing your heart and heartbreak with us, dear Angela! My heart and prayers are with you.💜💜
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Thank you, Lynn. These are trying times, but God is always faithful. He is good, whether I’m on the mountaintop or in the valley. In fact, He gave me a poem right when the hardest waves hit, and I think I’m going to share it…. I’ll post it soon.
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