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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Desire (01/17/05)
Desire is an interesting thing. Many people desire to reach a particular place in life, or to obtain the newest whatever. Some of our human desires are things that would help us as Christians and some are not.

As a parent I desire for my children to be happy, to be healthy, to reach their full potential, and to have a relationship with the Lord. I believe God as our father shares similar desires for us his children. However, we don’t always choose to follow the life He has set out for us and I wonder how that must hurt Him. We see this illustrated in Mt 23:37 as Jesus laments for Jerusalem 37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (NRSV) This verse tells of Jesus as he reflects on our Father's loving desire to hold us close while we tend to move away. I know as a parent the hurt and frustration I feel when my children make poor choices, tend to move away from me as their parent, or wander from the path I’d like them to follow.

Our 16 year old daughter struggles with anorexia and depression. She has been hospitalized twice stemming from suicide attempts. I watch her suffer from the pain of her illness. I want to just take it all away……….wave my magic wand and make it all better. But I know I can’t do that. My desire to help her through this is so strong that I often lose touch with the reality that I can not force her to overcome this. Sure I can provide the necessary medical care, support her, listen to her, provide suggestions, pray for her, but she truly has to have the desire herself to work at it and make the necessary changes in her life. That’s tough for anyone but especially an adolescent girl who struggles with depression. Then I find my desires for her often lead to frustrations and feelings of failure as a parent.

During times like this my thoughts often shift back to God as my father and how frustrated He must feel when I choose to not follow His will. When I make the wrong decisions or don’t listen when He is trying to tell me something or ignore Him when He shows me the path He wishes I would follow. He does know what is best for us and I believe His desires for me, His child, are much like mine for my children to be happy, healthy, Christian people who love our neighbors and our God.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Tina Mitchell Boutall
01/24/05
I always think of the verse that says, "Raise up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." The key being 'when he is old'. Note that the Bible says nothing about the middle portion of the child's life. Stand strong and tall for your daughter and when she is old she will draw from the wellspring of your faithfulness. Looking backwards the view is always clearer.

God bless you.
Cheri Hardaway
01/24/05
I have children ages 13 to 24. I identify with what you are saying so well! Thanks for saying it. God bless you.
Marjorie Arrowood
01/27/05
By way of encouragement, I went through this with a close friend whose beautiful daughter was hospitalized several times. It was a long struggle, but she is now totally healthy, a college graduate, and living a very productive life. God is good!
Deborah Anderson
01/29/05
I pray that God heal your daughter by His precious Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. God bless you.
Debbie OConnor
01/30/05
Very good entry. I think all parents can relate to the desire to see our children healthy, wise and faithful. It's hard to accept that the only behavior we can control is our own. Well done. I pray your daughter is fully healed. Remember that our Father longs for that day even more than you do. It is His will to heal her.