Gods gift in disguise | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: Gods gift in disguise | Previous Challenge Entry
By Lauren Annuals
11/20/08
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Genevieve is impossible to please, especially around this time of year. Seventeen years ago I never imagined it to be so hard. I feel as though she purposely does things just to spite me. At times I even question my own ability to be a stable mother. I approached her room and knocked.

“What do you want?” Genevieve screamed over her blaring music.

“Open the door!” I yelled back.

Stomping to the door, she swung it open.

“Will you make a Christmas list; I’m going to start shopping shortly.”

“I don’t care,” she said as the door slammed in my face.

My mind was racing. Why would she be stubborn about telling me what she wants, yet get furious when I get the wrong thing? Lord, why am I never right? I know I’ve messed up, but I’m not perfect, help me!

This madness all started three years ago. I felt like she went against everything I said. Her grades started to drop, along with the modesty of her clothes, and before I knew it I was staring at a completely different girl. She refused to continue to come to church with me, and wouldn’t even be seen with me in public. Eventually this dysfunctional behavior got her arrested, countless times. The courts had enough of the nonsense and put her on probation to try and keep track of her. Her probation officer then informed me of her drug usage. How could she not see this is hurting me more than her?

Then the moment came, which I was dreading the most. We were standing in the court house waiting.

Judge Handy asked, “What do we want to do with her now?"

“Put her in jail, she’s got to learn somehow,” the prosecutor stated solemnly. I’ll never forget those words.

After that experience we tried rehab after rehab, which she managed to scam her way through and continued with her old ways. I feel like I’m at the end of my road, and that its out of my hands. What can I do to get my Genevieve back? I know she’s in there somewhere. I vowed to myself to try one last option. A couple years ago my cousin went into a program called Teen Challenge, a yearlong Christian discipleship program, for all ages. It has the highest success rate out of all programs. I remember how strung out he was, and the Lord brought him through it. I researched as much as I could, as fast as I could, as secretly as I could. I prayed every night the same prayer, “Lord help me rescue my daughter, I know how great she’ll be as soon as she starts doing your will. I pray one day she will live for you.”

On Christmas Eve the Holy Spirit guided me through one of most difficult processes of my life, my last hope to get my daughter back. The ten hour drive was miserable, but she didn’t even know where she was heading. Tears poured down my face as I had to leave my daughter that night. She cussed me as I walked out the door trying to hug her, for possibly the last time in a year.

The director of the program called me Christmas night to reassure me that I was doing the right thing. He guaranteed me he will disciple my daughter to the Lord, and create structure in her life. After one month of not being able to speak to her, I got a letter in the mail from Genevieve. It was the most touching letter I have ever received. Genevieve thanked me for giving her the best Christmas gift she has received; filling her God given void. At that moment I knew that I had my daughter back. I dropped to my knees to thank the Lord and the Holy Spirit whispered in my ear “You’re doing the right thing.”

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