Father of Mercies and God of all Compassion, this morning, I am needing the comfort that only You can provide. Please bring Your Spirit of glory to rest upon me while my heart aches because of rejection. I shared the Truth of Your Word with a woman I recently befriended and she has since decided that we can no longer be friends.
I knew in advance she and her two sons would be joining Travis and me on our walk with You. You had given me plenty of notice. This past summer, while on one of our late afternoon strolls through the trailer park; Travis and I were stopped by a trailer park employee. “Excuse me?” The man politely said as he pulled his golf cart to the side of the road. “Can I ask how old your son is?” After proper introductions, he shared with me his hope in finding a playmate for his girlfriend’s son. “She and her two boys will be arriving soon.” He said.
Although I noticed a change occurring in Travis’ behavior, the two boys had become fast friends. All the while, a second friendship began to bloom, one between the boy’s mother and me. She was friendly and kindhearted, a genuine giving soul. And, seemed receptive to how passionate I was about living my life for You. One day, she allowed me to pray with her. Another, she accepted the bibles I purchased for her and her family. Then, she asked me to watch her youngest son while she went off to work. She also allowed her older son, Travis’ playmate, to attend church with us one Sunday.
After a while, however, I began to notice how differently we were both raising our children. Often times after returning home from a playdate with her family, I’d have to discipline my son. On these occasions, Travis struggled to remain polite to his family and wanted nothing to do with Christianity.
Today, I tried to softly and lovingly share with my friend about the difficulties I have been suddenly facing in raising my son. Surprisingly, she was empathetic. “I was raised in a strict Christian home. I understand completely how you are trying to raise your son.” It seemed the like the perfect opportunity to plead with her to surrender her heart to You.
At first, she listened quietly while I spoke about my past. “I had ignored my need for Jesus for years,” I said. But, as I spoke to her about the behaviors that were not becoming of a Christian, I could tell I was upsetting her. The conversation ended abruptly.
As soon as Truth was spoken, like so many people before her, she too began to distance herself. She has even instructed her son to no longer speak to my son or me. Father God, Your Word tells me that choosing to walk by Your side means that I will continually face rejection. And yet, rejection causes my heart to feel pain like no other. I wonder if my heart is healing from the rejection I felt as a child.
Perhaps there is no greater pain for a child to experience than the rejection from one of his or her parents. I was seven-years-old when my mother filed for divorce from my father. And with the exception of one short week, after I turned sixteen, my biological father and I did not speak. For over 23 years, only silence. He made his feelings known. He wanted nothing to do with me.
Father God, I know that You are my Heavenly Father and that You will never leave me or forsake me. So, Father, please heal my heart from those old childhood wounds so that I walk this journey with You without carrying such a heavy load. I ask this in the name of my Savior, Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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