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Email a FriendPosted by Kathleen on Friday, Dec 23, 2011 10:38 AM (EDT):
Wow. Thank you Rachel, I am sure this will bring comfort to many moms today.
When Hope Seems Lost
there is always hope in Jesus
Posted by Rachel Balducci in Family on Thursday, December 22, 2011 8:14 PM
Once upon a time, there was a boy named Larry. He was a good boy, raised in a good family. But somewhere, somehow, Larry lost his way.
He wandered in the desert for many years, seeking solace in drugs and alcohol. In the midst of this, his parents prayed. They prayed and their friends prayed and they continued to hope for their son, even as he seemed to slip further and further away.
This boy, Larry, is from my neighborhood and his story is one of encouragement and beauty. It also speaks to the depths of God’s love for us—we are his sheep and he does not want even a single one of us to go astray.
One night, while he was at a Grateful Dead concert, Larry was suddenly so overcome with the sadness of his surroundings and somehow, at the same time, was so overcome with God’s love for him, that he left the concert immediately, drove home and started finding his way back to Jesus. He returned to his parents and his family and his faith. Jesus revealed himself deeply and powerfully that night and Larry has never been the same.
That was a few years ago, a lifetime ago. This is Larry’s testimony that he shares publicly and now he is a friar with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal.
For our neighborhood newsletter, this young man sent a Christmas letter home from his mission work in Nicaragua. The letter itself is beautiful, but it also speaks of the healing power of Jesus. It is a source of encouragement for any parent out there praying and begging for a child who has lost his way. Jesus has not forgotten you, he hears your prayers. This time of year is especially hard and I know God wants those who struggle to seek solace—and joy and hope—in his perfect love for your child.
Here is the closing paragraph from the Christmas letter:
May the Crazy Love of a God who wanted to be near us so bad that He became the little nothingness of a child wrapped in swaddling clothes in a stable, may that fiercely humble love touch your hearts this Christmas and New Year. May it bring you what the world cannot offer, what we all long for—Christ’s peace and joy.
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