There is an image that will forever be imprinted on Cindy’s mind. It is what keeps her going when she wants to give up. Recently, her son had been acting up at school and she was struggling to deal with why he was taking what didn’t belong to him and lying about it. She had been crushed by such despair that she just wanted to throw in the towel and resign herself to the idea that it was no use trying to fix this problem. She and her husband had talked to him many times about the consequences of wrongdoing. They read Bible stories to him stories to illustrate how important it was to do what was right. But it seemed to be a waste of time. She cried when she read the teacher’s note, wondering what had happened to her precious little boy who would never have thought of taking other people’s things and telling lies.
She had prayed to God about it but the discouragement and disappointment were overwhelming. During her morning worship one day, she was frank with the Lord, telling him that she didn’t know what else to do. Talking to Joey, reading verses from the book of Proverbs which urged children to listen to their parents and even spanking him didn’t seem to be working. She had run out of options. Then, the image which she always held dear to her heart, filled her mind. She saw her son in the hospital, wrapped in a blanket, his head covered and only his tiny face was exposed. She would never forget looking into those big, beautiful eyes as they stared up at her. This was her child. The son she and her husband had prayed for. This was God’s precious gift to them.
As the image lingered, she heard the Lord say, “Do it for him.” God was encouraging her not to give up on that little baby who was looking up at her with such trust. He was seven now but somewhere in there was that sweet child that had filled her heart such love. It was this love that she was to tap into to help him. God doesn’t give up on His children, no matter how long it takes or how hard, so she couldn’t give up on Joey. Joey was a loving, kind and thoughtful child but he was doing bad things. She and his Dad had to find out why and then deal with it with God’s help. God told her to talk to Joey, not at him and then listen to him.
She realized that lately she had been lecturing Joey and talking while he was trying to say something. And it had been a while since she had spent any time with him. Was it her fault that Joey was acting up? Then, she pushed that thought away. The enemy would love for her to blame herself but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. She knew that she and her husband were raising Joey the best they knew how, in a Godly home. They would do whatever was necessary to help him but the choice, decision to stop doing what was wrong was his. She was not going to give up without a fight, though. Armed with hope and a mother’s fierce love, she was going to hang on to her child and not let go until it was safe to do so. And one day he was going to thank her for not letting go of the child he used to be so that he could become the exceptional man God knew he could be.
Love suffers long and is kind; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails – 1 Corinthians 13:4, 7, 8
