“I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.” (Philippians 1:19)
When you write a weekly column, you develop a special friendship with your readers. You soon realize how much you care about them and learn that they care about you, too. It’s almost like you’re part of my family, so it’s in that spirit that I’ve decided to bear my soul about something.
I often write about my own plight mainly because I don’t want to pick on someone else. I have enough trouble to go around and there’s more than enough spiritual value in it to share with others.
There have been occasions when I’ve been asked why I would share such personal matters. The answer is pretty clear to me: If I can learn from the troubles that life brings my way, why not pass it along to others who struggle with the same things and help them realize there’s hope when you have the Lord Jesus on your side?
But there are also times when I share my experiences because I simply need to get it off my chest. Some say it’s a form a cheap therapy, but that really has nothing to do with it. God’s Word says that we should carry each other’s burdens, which suggests to me that if I’m not willing to model appropriate Christian conduct, then how can I ask you to believe any other advice the Bible offers?
Today is one of those days that I have something to share with you for no other reason than to say that I am a little uneasy about it and more than little afraid of it.
I am father of two children and a stepfather to two more. All of our children live with my wife and me, except for my twelve-year-old daughter, who lives with her mother in North Carolina.
It’s tough when you’re a non-custodial parent and even tougher when you live hundreds of miles away. You feel so powerless when you’re not around to help them with the problems that they confront.
Over the last several months, my daughter has lost a good bit of weight. It’s amazing what can provide the inspiration to lose weight and in her case, she more or less grew tired of comments from her friends, coupled with the fact she never could find her size in some of the trendier things her age group is wearing.
Sounds like a normal everyday circumstance in the life of a middle-school student, doesn’t it? We thought so, too, until we learned that she was lying about eating lunch at school and hiding food at home rather than eating it. Add the fact that she’s entering her adolescent years and has now lost almost thirty percent of her original body weight and you’ve got four of the common symptoms of an eating disorder called anorexia.
It’s not about to get scary. It’s already scary!
There are two ways I could react to what has been brought my way: I could blame God and ask why, something I’ve done before; or I could choose to handle it differently this time and turn to him for help. The Bible says that in times like these we should turn to God for help. In fact, Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
I’ve decided to follow the Lord’s advice. I am burdened by what I see in my daughter and I don’t know what to do, so I’m going to turn it over to him. I’m trusting Jesus for the rest he promises.
I’ve also decided to take some advice from Paul. At Philippians 4:6 he encourages us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” I can’t say that I’m not anxious about what’s going on in my life, but I can tell you that I am asking the Lord Jesus to help my little girl and in faith I’m thanking him in advance for the answer.
I believe in the power of prayer and I know that there’s strength in numbers, which is why I’ve decided to take one more bold step. I’m asking my family of readers today to favor me and mention my daughter in your prayers. So many times we make prayer an act of last resort. I’m turning to the Lord now. Please join me and ask the Lord Jesus to touch her. And when he does, we’ll make sure he gets the glory!
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