CHRISTIAN PARENTS of ESTRANGED ADULT CHILDREN Community Group

Estrangement makes it difficult to talk about with family, friends, neighbors and church members. Christians are NOT immune to broken families. Talk about your experiences with those who know how you feel and get positive support through your Christian faith...."In these last days difficult times will come, for men will be lovers of self...disobedient to parents,...

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A Powerful Love

tripletmom333
tripletmom333
This helped me today.

A Powerful Love
Read | Luke 15:11-32

Very often, when we read about the prodigal son, our focus is on God's amazing love, which is demonstrated by the father in the parable. We delight in knowing that the Lord responds to us the same way when we stray from Him. But today, I want to look at our responsibility to love others. No matter how difficult the situation may be, God has given believers in Christ the capacity to respond with this same kind of love.

Let go: Although he had every right to refuse his second son's foolish request, this father understood that the young man had already left home in his heart. There may be times in our lives when the most loving thing we can do is also the most difficult—to step back and let a loved one go his own way. When you hang on and try to control the situation, you may actually get in God's way.

Wait: Once we have let go, we must then wait patiently for the Lord to do His work in that person's life. Did you notice that the father didn't go to search for his son? Even though he knew that pain and trouble would follow such a foolish decision, he chose to trust God instead of trying to fix the situation and protect his son from the consequences of his unwise choice.

The only way you can respond like this is to have confidence in the Lord's good plans for the one you're concerned about. He loves that person more than you can comprehend and understands the best way to reach a resistant heart. Your job is to watch and pray until God brings the prodigal to his senses.

Copyright 2011 In Touch Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved. www.intouch.org. In Touch grants permission to print for personal use only.
GuelsMom
GuelsMom
triplet...bless your heart!

I love Charles Stanley's In Touch Ministries! I watch it quite often. Do you get his beautiful calendar. He LOVES photography is quite good at it.

Scripture says that Jesus doesn't give us more than we can handle but "Letting Go" and "Waiting" are probably the two most difficult to do when our estranged prodigal children are what we are letting go of and waiting for their return.

I'm hanging in there with you my friend. I know it is tough. Those valleys are just that...they are the pits!! Thankfully, the Lord brings us out and up to the mountain, but He's been down in the pits Himself so He knows of our despair.

Try to keep talking and try to get busy doing things to take your mind off what can't be resolved today."Sufficient unto today are the evils thereof..."

God Bless,
GuelsMom
deleted_user
deleted_user
You are so right that the father did not go after his son but let go and let God. That is so difficult for us as parents to do. But our trust and faith in God and his way, his will, his power is all that matters. These are times where our faith is all important - perhaps a testing of our faith and a time to draw nearer to our Father. My husband always tells me that his favorite part of the story is "when he came unto himself" or "when he came to his senses" depending on Bible version. Don't we see the significance in the fact of God's hand in the son becoming aware that he wanted to return home. It had to be the son's decision. The father full of compassion and love saw him coming from a distance and ran to meet him. There was no questioning of the son by theq father. Each had control of their own actions so we cannot control any one else. God is in control of all so all we can do is draw near and lean upon the Lord. God does indeed love our children and our trust is in Him.
deleted_user
deleted_user
You are so right that the father did not go after his son but let go and let God. That is so difficult for us as parents to do. But our trust and faith in God and his way, his will, his power is all that matters. These are times where our faith is all important - perhaps a testing of our faith and a time to draw nearer to our Father. My husband always tells me that his favorite part of the story is "when he came unto himself" or "when he came to his senses" depending on Bible version. Don't we see the significance in the fact of God's hand in the son becoming aware that he wanted to return home. It had to be the son's decision. The father full of compassion and love saw him coming from a distance and ran to meet him. There was no questioning of the son by theq father. Each had control of their own actions so we cannot control any one else. God is in control of all so all we can do is draw near and lean upon the Lord. God does indeed love our children and our trust is in Him.
deleted_user
deleted_user
You are so right that the father did not go after his son but let go and let God. That is so difficult for us as parents to do. But our trust and faith in God and his way, his will, his power is all that matters. These are times where our faith is all important - perhaps a testing of our faith and a time to draw nearer to our Father. My husband always tells me that his favorite part of the story is "when he came unto himself" or "when he came to his senses" depending on Bible version. Don't we see the significance in the fact of God's hand in the son becoming aware that he wanted to return home. It had to be the son's decision. The father full of compassion and love saw him coming from a distance and ran to meet him. There was no questioning of the son by theq father. Each had control of their own actions so we cannot control any one else. God is in control of all so all we can do is draw near and lean upon the Lord. God does indeed love our children and our trust is in Him.
deleted_user
deleted_user
You are so right that the father did not go after his son but let go and let God. That is so difficult for us as parents to do. But our trust and faith in God and his way, his will, his power is all that matters. These are times where our faith is all important - perhaps a testing of our faith and a time to draw nearer to our Father. My husband always tells me that his favorite part of the story is "when he came unto himself" or "when he came to his senses" depending on Bible version. Don't we see the significance in the fact of God's hand in the son becoming aware that he wanted to return home. It had to be the son's decision. The father full of compassion and love saw him coming from a distance and ran to meet him. There was no questioning of the son by theq father. Each had control of their own actions so we cannot control any one else. God is in control of all so all we can do is draw near and lean upon the Lord. God does indeed love our children and our trust is in Him.
deleted_user
deleted_user
You are so right that the father did not go after his son but let go and let God. That is so difficult for us as parents to do. But our trust and faith in God and his way, his will, his power is all that matters. These are times where our faith is all important - perhaps a testing of our faith and a time to draw nearer to our Father. My husband always tells me that his favorite part of the story is "when he came unto himself" or "when he came to his senses" depending on Bible version. Don't we see the significance in the fact of God's hand in the son becoming aware that he wanted to return home. It had to be the son's decision. The father full of compassion and love saw him coming from a distance and ran to meet him. There was no questioning of the son by theq father. Each had control of their own actions so we cannot control any one else. God is in control of all so all we can do is draw near and lean upon the Lord. God does indeed love our children and our trust is in Him.
deleted_user
deleted_user
You are so right that the father did not go after his son but let go and let God. That is so difficult for us as parents to do. But our trust and faith in God and his way, his will, his power is all that matters. These are times where our faith is all important - perhaps a testing of our faith and a time to draw nearer to our Father. My husband always tells me that his favorite part of the story is "when he came unto himself" or "when he came to his senses" depending on Bible version. Don't we see the significance in the fact of God's hand in the son becoming aware that he wanted to return home. It had to be the son's decision. The father full of compassion and love saw him coming from a distance and ran to meet him. There was no questioning of the son by theq father. Each had control of their own actions so we cannot control any one else. God is in control of all so all we can do is draw near and lean upon the Lord. God does indeed love our children and our trust is in Him.
OverAndOut2
OverAndOut2
TripletMom, thanks for this message - I needed that! There has been a lot of drama on FB over this past weekend in my ED's life. Her husband left wife and infant and returned to his mamma here in home State. ED's birth family and in-law family (at least some of them) got into a real mud-slinging contest on FB that was assuming divorce between them. About 24 hours later, ED joined hubby, so she is about 15 min. away from where I live now. One of my acquaintances/friends chastised me and said "as a Christian", I should reach out to ED during what we now know was a 1-day split and I'm glad I didn't. Right now, I am in the place where I truly feel that ED has to want me in her life, for the right reasons, and with a spirit of humility. I also think that I have to reach that same place! I'm not there yet so who better to turn to and trust than Christ? If and when I feel it's time for me to take action, I hope and pray that I will be obedient and sufficiently humbled. The prodigal story is a great reminder. Thank you.
GuelsMom
GuelsMom
tripletmom, ersloveu, and OAO....I just want to say that I think you women are great testaments to remaining faithful in adversity. Not only you three, but every one of these amazing men and women in this group! You all know trails do not escape us just because we are Christians, but, most of all you know who to lean on and why we have to let go and let God take control of these uncontrollable situations.

I am so proud to be a part of this group. For sure, there are days when I can barely drag myself here but when I do, I find such steadfastness and strength within your hearts that I am encourage and strengthened through you all.

PEACE