The Shepherdess speaks

From time to time, I will be posting some excerpts from "Women of the Secret Place" and this is a favorite that has been published in other books as well. The theme is touching, a slice of life that plays the chords of our heart.

 

KINDRED SPIRITS

“Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears,

 for your work will be rewarded, declares the Lord”

Jeremiah 31:16

     The dog stood beside the road, her head moving like a pendulum, watching car after car whip by. At the first break in traffic, her head stopped moving and her gaze fixed on something lying in the road. Another passing car blocked her tentative step toward the object. Again she ventured onto the road, and, again, a car stopped her progress.

     I spied what held the mama dog’s attention—a lifeless puppy lying in the far lane of the road. “Oh, my goodness, that’s me,” I said aloud. I burst into tears as I recognized the parallel of my attempts to rescue my wounded, drug addicted son, Josh. I heard the Holy Spirit whisper, “I see you running back and forth, grappling to reach your son.”

     Watching the desperate dog, I wondered how many times I dodged logic and reason in my attempts to rescue my son. How many tears fell as I waited for him to beat the addiction holding our family hostage? How many times I did anything I could to avoid walking away in despair. My answer rang clear: as many as it takes.

     As a mother, I cling to every thread of hope that keeps my child alive for one more day. I start each day with a prayer: “Let today be the day he is set free.” The urge to give up on my son often outweighs the desire to stand and fight one more battle. The temptation to speak sharply, or not at all, looms large when confronted with another lie. The disgust I feel when another item goes missing jerks me back to the reality of his addiction. I cannot leave him in the road; he is alive and with life there is hope.

     Children stumble and fall whether they are toddlers, teenagers or adults. Mothers instinctively know how and when to kiss their children’s boo boos and send them back into the world. The scraped knees of childhood sometimes evolve into broken hearts and shattered dreams of adulthood that are much harder to kiss away.

     Jeremiah 31:15-17 sustains me when the stumbles outnumber the successful sendoffs. This is what the Lord says: A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more. This is what the Lord says; Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded, declares the Lord. They will return from the land of the enemy. So there is hope for your future, declares the Lord. Your children will return to their own land.

     The dog left her puppy alone in the road. I will not leave my son. I continue to care and seek God on his behalf. After all, that’s what mothers do.

~Sharron Cosby