Seasons of Service
Have you ever missed someone so deeply that your heart-ached at thought of them or at the mention of their name. And what if that person wasn’t really gone or far away, but rather lost in an addiction or addictions! What then?
This is what I was facing one day as I was dusting. Funny how the simplest things in life can bring about our deepest longings and our most heartfelt prayers.
As I opened up the drawer to the antique china hutch to dust off its ledge, my eyes landed a beautiful lavender card. It had been tucked away with some other cards, letters, pictures and memorabilia. But the little card took on a life of its own and I reached in and pulled it out and preceded to open it up and read its contents.
It was a lovely little card, written in my mom’s own beautiful hand writing. It was filled with her heartfelt sentiments expressing her pride and joy in my recent accomplishments in my National Aerobic Championship.
As I read the words so eloquently written on the card, I was filled with so much emotion. Delight in seeing her lovely handwriting written inside this heartfelt note. Gratitude for her heartfelt message of love and encouragement for my accomplishments.
Yet, soon after my delight and joy of reliving that past, my heart and my mind were filled with sadness. Sadness at wondering what happened to this mother that I knew and loved. And then wonder, wonder at what had happened that made her who she was now.
Soon after my dad died in 1995, my brothers and my sister and I lost our mother too! We lost her not to death but rather to an addiction. An addiction that changed who she was, into who she became. My heart yearned for her to return to her old self!
And so I stopped what I was doing and I prayed. I asked God to bring back the mom we knew and loved! It was a simple prayer and yet it was a prayer that came with a heartfelt request.
Do you have a loved one lost to an addiction? Or maybe you are reading this and you are that person. Won’t you stop and pray and ask God to deliver you or your loved one from the bondage of that addiction. There is hope in Christ Jesus.
In Luke 4:18 Jesus declares that, “The Spirit of the Lord was upon Him because Jesus had been anointed to preach the good news to the poor (the poor in spirit).
Jesus had been sent to proclaim freedom to the prisoners (those held in bondage to sin) and recover to sight of the blind (those spiritually blind to His truths) and to release the oppressed (those suffering because of their belief in Him), and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
Terri Hamman
Faith & Fitness Coach