Reconciliation
and Restoration-Peace!
By Jeannine Sawall
“ For I know
the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you
and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah
29:11 (NIV)
Seeing
the two of them sitting next to each other, smiling and chatting brought tears
to my eyes. For the first time in my 41 years, my mom and bio-dad were in the
same room with each other sitting and talking like old friends. I felt
compelled to take of a picture of the two of them but hesitated to do so. I
didn’t want to make their first meeting feel awkward.
I
sat down with them and began talking with both my parents! I pulled out pictures of my
family’s recent vacation and shared them with Larry while my mom looked on. Later
in the evening, my mom, stepdad and a couple of friends were sitting in the
family room with Larry…still talking! I asked if they were going to join us for
the fireworks. My mom smiled and said, “We’ll be down in a minute. We’re
working on getting Larry saved!”
The
next day, I told my mom how proud I was of her. She seemed so at ease with
Larry after all these years, despite the initial emotional struggle after he
contacted me. She said it was good to see him after all that time. I asked her
if she had found “closure,” and she said she hadn’t, but God had given her a peace
that she hadn’t had before. She shared how good it was to see Larry and me
together. “He really does love you, Bean. I’m so glad I had a chance to see
that.” Sixteen days later, my mom died in a car accident.
As
I look back at that time, I see the hand of God so very clearly in every
detail. He brought Larry into my life in His timing, not to replace my mom but
to offer me the opportunity to develop a father/daughter relationship I didn’t
even know I was missing at a time I would desperately need it. While my mom had
experienced healing in many areas of her life, Larry was the one “loose end” she
struggled with. God, in His goodness, allowed her to experience peace with
Larry before she was called home, and God allowed me to witness that process. God’s
plans and timing may not always be clear to us or easy to walk. But we can be
sure His plans are for our good, for hope and for a future, if we trust Him and
allow Him to work in our lives.
GOING
DEEPER:
1.
With whom does God desire you to reconcile?
2.
Where do you need to trust God with your future?
FURTHER
READING:
Jeannine is a wife
and busy mother of four boys. She works in property management, serves in Café and
actively walks along those experiencing grief.
