offshoot

Thursday, May 24, 2012 (7:42 a.m.)

Anaheim, CA

Blessed, Awesome God,

You are so good. So righteous. So holy. Thank You. No matter what our problems, we get to come before You exactly as we are. What an honor. What a privilege.

Thank You Father that this morning I get to sit here in a home that is not my own and listen to the sounds and interactions of an offshoot of our family tree. Ah [awe! J], Lord. I am so incredibly grateful for the work You are doing in this family.

Decades of unhealthy familial interactions are being discussed. Communicated. Brought to the light in order that they will be changed. What a blessed opportunity.

Father, we wholeheartedly thank You for the changes You are making in our family dynamics. You are healing that which can be healed and cutting off that which cannot. Thank You.

Thank You for the courage to address uncomfortable situations that arise. Thank You for truth spoken in love. Thank You for air that is being cleared. Purified. Through You and Your most Holy Spirit.

I don’t have words to express the hope that comes from knowing we are being led, as a family, by You. Change is happening. “Adventure IS out there!” And I look to You for the courage to embrace it!

In looking to You, I find myself once again in the book of Isaiah. It almost never ceases to make my seemingly heavy heart lighter. There is truly that sense of “the peace that passes understanding” deep in my heart (Philippians 4:7).

As I initially turned to Chapter 11, verse one of Isaiah I was filled with hope as I read the heading Promises of a Perfect Ruler. “The royal line of David will be cut off, chopped down like a tree; but from the stump will grow a Shoot – yes, a new branch from the old root.”

In verse two, it goes on to tell “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, and might; the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.” Promises of this nature continue throughout the chapter.

Ah Father, thank You for the hope of Your promises. Reading the recovery commentaries at the bottom of these two pages begin and end reiterating Your promises. “We may feel deep insecurities and hurt… Our hope is in God, who will come again and rule the world in justice and truth. He will straighten out all the inequities of the past…”

These are promises I am willing to stand on. The hope we find to continue, to persevere is only found in You. “God’s power to restore disintegrating families is great. The family of Israel had fallen… The nations of Israel and Judah were locked in destructive patterns of jealousy. Out of this mess, God promised to bring restoration and unity. He can do the same for us, too. If our family is separated because of abuse, addictions, jealousy, etc., God can unify it. Our recovery starts, however, with open communication and complete trust in God.”

Quoting a three year old from a few years past, telling his dad, when faced with a difficult challenge, “YOU do it!” Father God this is my prayer. YOU do this for us! Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(560 words ~ 9:17 a.m.)