It’s Easter. A day of hope and new beginnings. That’s what people say, right? But what if you don’t feel very hopeful today? Your child is struggling and you can’t help it – you feel hopeless. They’re incarcerated. They have a drug or alcohol problem. They’ve done so much damage to themselves. They inflict wounds on their bodies, too – cutting, burning, breaking bones, disordered eating They’ve been in and out of rehab, but can’t seem to overcome it. Is there any hope for them?
They made a terrible mistake and married that person you prayed they never would – or they moved in with them against your wishes (and prayers). Marriage is the furthest thing from their minds. Maybe now there’s an innocent child (or children) in the picture. Or they’re pursuing a gay lifestyle and hinted marriage could be ahead – or they already married their partner. What is there to hope for now?
Maybe they have a mental illness they can’t seem to manage. Suicide attempts you wish you could forget. It’s been a revolving door of psych wards, hospitalizations, medications, counselors, psychiatrists and there’s still no stability, no peace, no rest – for them, or for you. You wonder how much more you can take. Your heart cries out, “How much longer, O God?”
You see no way anything good could come from all that’s happened. Everything looks ruined. You feel lifeless – dead, stuck in a darkened tomb with a huge stone blocking the only way out. And it really stinks.
What now? What can you do?
- Keep praying and trusting. God is the relentless Hound of Heaven.
- Be honest – with God and a few safe people. Let out your pain. He sees. He knows. He cares.
- Never give up – tomorrow could be their Resurrection Day!
- Remember who God is, what He’s done in the past, and what He can do in the future. He can raise the dead back to life again!
As long as your child is still breathing – there’s still hope.
So, hope on!
Hold. On. To. Promises. Expectantly.
If you need some fresh hope you might like this book: The Hope of a Homecoming by Brendan O’Rourke and DeEtte Sauer. Click here to order it from our website and a small portion of your purchase will help our ministry, Hope for Hurting Parents.
This verse from the Bible reminds me where my hope comes from:
“Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope.” (Psalm 119:49)
It’s my prayer that your hope will be renewed today because Christ is risen! He is Risen Indeed! And He has the power to raise your son or daughter back to life. And if you don’t see this in your lifetime, He’ll raise you up from the grave you feel like your in, to live victoriously in His peace – today and all the days of your life.
In His Resurrection Power.
Amen.
Reblogged this on Anchor Of Promise and commented:
Yes, holidays are tough. While everyone is happy around you and enjoying their families, you are struggling to just get through the day. But there is hope. Our Heavenly Father has not abandoned you or your child in crisis. He is faithful. He is our hope in our time of crisis. This is a great post…please take the time to be encouraged and build your hope once again.
Stacy, thank you for your coments, always so encouraging!
Thank you for the blog.
We soldier on, not knowing what to expect, praying with intention, and not losing hope. We do not know really a lot of anything. What we do know is that God is very much here and the power of prayer is very real.
You are so right!