Have you ever been in the pit of despair, having lost your way in the
fog of self-pity and remorse? The other day, I listened to a friend
recall how she felt when lost in the fog of despair and anger. It
centered on her son's wedding. I will let her tell you what happened.
As I think back to the situation when my life took a downward spin
into rage and hate, the problem facing us was our oldest son getting
married to a girl 17 years his junior. I recall what led up to the
wedding, which my husband and I were not going to attend because of
things said and done. The choice of a girl wasn't something I agreed
with, and we didn't talk for some time. It was the Christmas before the
January wedding when a meeting was set up at our other son's home, and
all the cards were put on the table, and we reluctantly agreed to attend
with reservations. On the wedding day, we were told by one of the
attendants that our son's wife had said that the new bride would be
feeling better if the parents of her husband-to-be were not at the
wedding. Sigh! We did attend though, hiding my feelings.
Nothing
was going right, and I couldn't control the situation, no matter how
hard I tried. I couldn't sleep, and I had continued headaches. My
thoughts of the situation overwhelmed me. I felt weak and helpless. My
life was going down the wrong thought trail. I was struggling like a
fish swimming upstream. I finally fell down on my knees and cried out to
God, "I give this situation to You, Lord. Please forgive me for trying
to control things I have no control over." Then I prayed:
God,
grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the
difference.
As I said the Serenity Prayer over and over daily, I
totally surrendered to God to let Him handle it in His time. As time has
gone by, I finally have that sense of peace back. God's Spirit is
definitely at work in my life, and I leave the rest up to God to oversee
my son's life and his relationship with his wife. My burden of being
bewildered has passed as I let go and let God do His work.
Hearing of my friend's life-giving struggle, I thanked God for His peace
which was obviously with my friend now, having brought her through a
very painful time. Yes, God does send us His peace, as Isaiah said in
today's verses. "He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to
bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes and a garment of
praise instead of a spirit of despair."
We struggle through life
with many challenges facing us, and we hit that wall and wonder whether
we can get over it or through it. Yes, we can, through God and His Son,
our Saviour and Redeemer. He is our Rock through life. Praise to our
Lord!
Prayer: Dear Lord, we believe in You, but we can lose our
way in the fog of self-contemplation and self-will. We should have
called out to You, and when we finally did, You were there in the fog
with a bright light. Please forgive us, for You alone are the only One
who can truly lead life here on earth, as we walk on with faith and
trust. You were always there for us. Thank You, dear Lord, for picking
us up when we were down. All praise and glory be to You. Amen.
Parksville, British Columbia, Canada
Thanks to PresbyCan Daily
Devotional
