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“When people’s lives please the Lord, even their enemies are at peace with them.” Proverbs 16:7 (NLT)
A Story from Mara, Age 55
I was the 2nd oldest in a family of nine; I grew up with five brothers and three sisters. When my husband, John, and I decided to start a family of our own, I just assumed I would also have a house filled with children. I quickly realized God had other plans for me. Infertility tore through our lives and our hearts – shattering the hopes and dreams we had made for a family. There would be no children, at least not a biological child of our own. I poured out my hurting heart to God in prayer; He answered by opening the door to adoption. We were blessed with a beautiful, baby girl, Sydney!
I settled down to embrace motherhood and truly enjoyed our family time together; that is, until my darling daughter became a teenager!
What I considered budding independence during Sydney’s childhood looked more like raging fits of rebellion during adolescence. Pleasant conversations shared during dinner became screaming battles fought from behind closed doors. Although Sydney and I had our fair share of arguments, she and John seemed to cross swords on just about everything. And if that wasn’t bad enough, they both expected me to take their side! My role of wife and mother became an ugly blur as I was forced into the job of family judge, jury, and referee. It was a lose-lose situation; no matter whose position I took, the other one was angry. It wasn’t long before their hostility was directed at me instead of at each other.
Caught in the crossfire, I poured out my hurting heart to God in prayer.
He answered by opening my eyes to truth! The reality of my home life became quite clear – the war I was waging was not my own. So I stopped trying to control the anger around me, instead looking upward to find the joy in my life. Bible verses came to life and filled me with calm assurance. As my focus shifted to pleasing the Lord, my example began to have a profound impact on my family. I now understood the words: Let Go and Let God. I began to focus on deepening my relationship with God and let Him take care of Sydney and her dad. The process is slow and steady – but my God-given joy is changing the dynamics of my family!
Conversation Starters
1. Sydney and her dad misdirected their anger toward Mara. Have friends or family members ever tried to shift the focus to you in an attempt to take the blame or pressure off of themselves?
2. Mara focused on growing her personal relationship with Christ. Discuss ways you can grow closer to Him, too.
3. The bible verses above tell us how to face confrontation. Re-read each one and discuss what God has to say.
An Adult Perspective
Christ directs us to keep our eyes on Him, persevering courageously through the challenges of life, so that we might grow spiritually. Through Laura’s life, I am understanding just that. It’s only when she kept her eyes on Him, trusting in Him, did things begin to change at home.
Troubles came her way, yet her faith and endurance grew.
Mara is a dear friend of mine, so let me confide. This God-inspired epiphany and transformation didn’t happen overnight! I celebrate and acknowledge what Christ is doing in her life – a living testament of how difficult situations do allow our faith and endurance to grow. It’s easy to focus on the waves or tough circumstances in our lives, but without keeping our eyes on Him, we may falter and sink into despair. We may very well miss the opportunity to experience His great power!
Difficult situations allow my faith and endurance to grow.
