Thank you for looking at my auction. Be sure to check out my other auctions. I have a variety of items listed right now because I am trying to earn some money to pay for my daughters upcoming wedding.
I would like to share with you a story of love, forgiveness, and hope. About 4 years ago when my daughter was 16 my husband and I thought we had lost her to the world. She had become defiant, bitter, hateful, depressed and full of rage. She was involved with people who used her and manipulated her. She hated us and the more we tried to reach her the farther from us she ran. We spent many days and nights wondering what she was doing, who she was with, and asking why this was happening to us. Sometimes she would disappear and we would search for her. Other times she would be home and the screaming and fighting and rage were too much to bear under one roof. There was no longer this cute, extremely intelligent, rational, blonde sun kissed, loving child - she had become a stranger to us - a stranger we didn’t like. This being our oldest daughter and never having experienced any problems with her up to this point, my husband and I were drowning. We had know clue what to do or say. And we felt so alone. We did what our hearts told us to do - we sought God.
In the final culmination of events over the last 2 years, in May 2006 on graduation night my daughter moved out. She was gone and there was quiet. Too much quiet, so much silence that your thoughts can be heard out loud. “What did we do wrong?” “Is she OK?” “ Is she safe?” “Maybe if we had done this or not done that” “Is she eating?” and on and on…… but we still chased after God. We asked Him these questions, we talked to Him, we yelled at Him, we accused Him and we cried and cried and cried…..I wanted Him to answer me, I wanted Him to give me back my daughter, I wanted Him to fix this mess….The amazing thing was that He did none of those things the way I demanded, but I can assure you He was there. I know this because I am changed. In this suffering, He changed me….He taught me love, forgiveness, patience, tolerance, humility. My Jesus saved me twice: once from my sins and once from my self.
Now I am not saying that the next 2 years were painless or without disappointment, but what I will say is that I was not alone. Not only did I have God but I had people that He had brought into our lives that walked with me through the hurt. And over the last 2 years, the more I trusted that God was sovereign, the more I gave up to Him, the more I was able to love, regardless……In those 2 years what I believed had been lost forever was redeemed and restored. The daughter I thought I had lost has come home….she is in her 3rd year of college, she met a wonderful man, she is loving, kind and forgiving and slowly we are rebuilding a new relationship. She will be married on August 1st, 2008 and a new chapter will begin.
So I pray, I seek God, I run to Him and I believe that He loves her more than I ever could. And in that I find hope. I say to all of you that know pain, that are broken, suffering, hurting - whether because of your choices or the choices of someone else - you are not alone. Run to Him…. He is waiting. He is there, He will carry you thru just remember it may not be on your terms but His are way better. Then lean on those around you, they are the hands and feet of God and many times you will find Him there.
Thanks again for looking at my auctions. Know that I did not share this to make you bid, I want you to know that you are not alone……
PS Her wedding is outside, in August, can you say HOT!!
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