When Life Falls Apart
I was in the midst of preparing for guests when my world was turned upside down. A phone call brought devastating news: my 17-year-old son had been arrested for shoplifting. The pain was crippling, the shame suffocating, and the sense of isolation overwhelming. As a mother, I felt like I was staring into the abyss, unsure of how to move forward.
The Weight of Guilt and Shame
Rationally, I knew my son’s actions weren’t my fault, but my heart screamed otherwise. The weight of guilt and shame threatened to crush me. I felt like a failure as a parent, as a person, and as a follower of Jesus. The questions swirled: What do I do with a son who has made such a grave mistake? How do I respond when he wants to go to a friend’s house? My initial instinct was to ground him for life, but deep down, I knew that wouldn’t solve anything.
The Emptiness of Uncertainty
My husband and I were left feeling empty and lost. There was no playbook for navigating this crisis. No guidebook offered answers, and we had nowhere to turn but to God. The desperation drove us to our knees, and it was there that we discovered His presence. He didn’t remove the pain or erase the consequences, but He filled us with His peace and used our brokenness to draw us closer to Him.
A Cry for Help
Holy Spirit, we need You. Come and fill us with Your power. Be our Comforter in times of trial. You don’t promise us a life free from troubles, pain, or sorrow, but You do promise to be with us. Teach us to turn to You, to depend on Your strength and power as we journey through life’s difficulties.
Finding Strength in Surrender
Maybe you, too, have felt like you’ve failed. The Bible never says that God won’t give us more than we can handle, but He does promise us His Holy Spirit to empower us to do what we cannot. So, how are you handling the difficult situations in your life? Write out a prayer of surrender, giving everything over to God and choosing to trust Him in your trial. Will you join me in crying out to Him?
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