your post brought tears to my eyes and my heart. i have a child that i and my family and friends are praying for, praying that he will remember the way he was raised and taught, praying that he will realize he needs to come back to God, praying that God will speak to his heart all day long, every day, and that God will protect him while he is not living in God's will. thank you for reminding me that God can and will watch over our children when we can't be there.

Thanks so much for the encouragement. I'm dealing with a prodigal husband, and I'm learning to let God take care of it 100%. It's so hard to let go and wait for God's will to work itself out in both our lives. Even if my husband won't listen to me, I know God will still get him the messages he needs.

Nancy, thank you for so transparently sharing your prodigal mother's heart with the thousands of us who are living in that same "waiting room" with you. Thank you for reminding us that our faithful Father is so far more mindful, loving and ever-present in the lives of our wayward, beloved children than we could ever imagine, and that He can and will use anything - even a bright yellow JESUS tee shirt - to arrest their attention!

Every now and then it's as if the Lord pulls back the curtains of Heaven for a minute or two to let me see His hand at work in my prodigal sons' lives. Overjoyed when He does, and trusting when we can't see the times He's worked in ways we'll never know this side of Heaven, onward we go... loving them, trusting Him, and rejoicing that He adores them, knows them and loves them more than we moms can begin to fathom.

A song we've been singing recently at church comes to mind: "Great is Your faithfulness, O God/ You wrestle with the sinner's heart...." Oh, Lord, wrestle with our beloved prodigals until they simply can no longer resist Your loving hand!

"I think crying and pleading with God over a wayward child either makes your heart hardened from self-protection or tenderized, like a piece of steak that’s been whacked repeatedly with a mallet."

Please pray for my heart to be softned. Right now, I feel like life is a frozen skating pond where everyone from the youngest child to the professional figure skater is skating. Some just don't have the skills and fall, others hit a bump and fall, and still others fall on a skill they've done a hundred times. My young prodigal hit a bump, but she's back up and skating (I want to believe in the right direction) but I have fallen through the ice and am 10 feet under fighting for survival and trying to keep my faith. I feel my heart turning stone cold. Pray for me to know whether to keep fighting or to completely surrender.

WOW!
Talk about a eye opener.
I hae 2 children one is serving God the other is not. He is 24 and lives with 2 other guys . They love to party and its nothing for them to have sleepovers of theopposite sex.
I have cryed , pleaded , and mom naged also.
The past 2 years though I have learned to trust God more in my own life . After going thru a divorce after 26yrs of marraige I turned to God more than I ever had and He not only healed me from my hurts He showed me how to let go of the past and look to the future plans he has for me and my kids.
That in itself has taught me to show my son more unconditional love and to let him know I will always be here no matter what. And step back and let God do his thing with him.
I sleep better ,cry less , and trust more.
I am blessed .
I pray all moms are too!
carol

Awesome story and a reminder of the goodness of God towards us praying mothers. We want the "instant McDonald" answers, but God does it little by little, here a little, there a little. Everytime I surrender my prodigal I have such a peace and joy, BUT when I try to control and manipulate, fear and worry dominate.
Blessings!

my husband has been a prodigal again and again. he leaves when he gets restless and bored, then comes back when he is broke and has "nowhere to go"... 6 days ago, this was how he came back home. tho i told him that i'm not taking him in till he seriously sits down with a counselor and accountability. 2 ony 2 days after, i caught him lying and planning to cheat again. then last night, i just had had enough. he is just usng me, really. so i told him to leave if he does not really want to stay in a commited marriage. i don't want to go back to a prison of unforgiveness and ungratefulness, but i am really just tired. i love him as Jesus loves him and loves me. maybe telling him to leave is an act of sacrificial love.

Hi Nancy,

How fantastic that you can be so open. I believe that transparency is an indispensable character trait for people who are role models to exhibit. When people hear that it hasn't always worked in your life, they are more free to show the places where it hasn't worked in theirs, rather than holding it all in and trying to pretend that everything is just as it should be.

Two of my boys were prodigals also and it was so hard, never even knowing if something they did would end up killing them or someone else. Yet God was great and did so many things like the things you described, to remind them of Jesus. Now they are back in relationship with Him, although one of them is still not in church, but I have learned to say more to God about them, than to them about God. It is working.

bless you sister... this is so good to see written down for others to see and identify with.

I have 9 children (7 are adopted). My husband left almost 10 years ago. Two of my sons who are still living at home (20 & 24) have also decided to live their own way and indulge in drugs and drink. I keep on praying trusting that God will change the situation and am preparing to act also. My three daughers still living at home (17, 18 & 18) also have issues of rebellion and smoking (one of the twins is pregnant and due at the end of October)...many times it is very hard to go to church alone every sunday and know that at the moment they have decided that they don´t need God in their lives. I live in Brasil where it is common for children to live at home until they get married or move to another town for work or study. The concept of tough love and putting out on the street a child (young adult) who is causing you some trouble is quite foreign to the culture here. I pray for wisdom for dealing with my two sons since by allowing them to have a place to crash I am enabling them to continue their destructive behaviour. I know some of their behaviour has to do with their genetic inheritance (from the birth parents) but I do also believe that God has a plan for their lives and He answers us when we call. He is LORD of my life and I keep on praying that the message of God´s Fatherhood will bring healing and salvation to their lives...talking to God about them is the best thing we can do for our kids and trust that God knows what He is allowing!!
Thank you Nancy for sharing your story!

Your openness to share your prodigal story is another reminder to me, and others, that we are not alone; others have struggles with their children as well. It's very easy to feel isolated. My church family came around us with prayers and listening ears. God came with a "do you really want him back before I'm through with him?" He just needed me to get out of the way. And this was when my son was 13! I am so grateful that we can rest in our God. My son is now 18, has a darling little girl, and still has consequences of his past behavior and choices to deal with. He acknowledges God in his life, and keeps his Bible handy wherever he stays. I'm just praying that he will wholly sell out to God and see that He is good!

to broken,
i don't believe that God wants us to put ourselves in situations where we are constant prey for the enemy. The Lord hates it when his women are unloved wives!!! This is in the old testament. Please don't allow yourself to be victimized any more by your husband. You are free in God's eyes because your husband has broken his covenant repeatedly and remains unrepentent. Please don't think its the "christian" thing to do to stay with a man who repeatedly has affairs on you. You are more valuable to God than that!

Thank you for making me laugh and cry;;;; Only the lord can do that! So many tears fears, a river runs down my eyes oh Lord because they keep not thy law. I must put my treasures in gods capable hands, so trembling [every moment] I lift up my son Anthony my son Jeff and my daughter Jennifer and I pray that I might be found faithful to serve you Lord with all of my heart all of my strengh and all of my mind HELP me Jesus to be a light in the dark, Help me trust the creator for He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly more than we ask or think. I love every parent whose hurting over a prodical child and am committed to praying them through the storm! For I know whom I have believed in and am persuaded that HE is able to keep that which Ive committed unto HIM against that day. IN JESUS NAME, Paula

Thank you for such an encouraging story. I have a daughter that has gone astray and I love her very much and I pray for her daily. I do believe that God has her life in His hand for she has missed death so many times I believe that God is protecting her. I won't give up on her I belive that God will deliver her and that she will help others and be the mother of her beautiful children. My heart aches but I must continue to tell myself that she is the hands of God and that He will guide her back to Him and that she will be what God has called her to be in Christ.

Nancy, I was praying for your daughter and thought I'd share a great scripture promise verse to pray. The Lord showed me this one recently -- I love to pray scripture because God's word never fails :) Jeremiah 24:7 (which is easy to remember because God is moving in this 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! :) I speak the truth of this verse into your daughter's life and ask the lord to send His Word to her heart.

Very good. Now as a christian mom I can relate..we all have a story about life altering choices are children made..as we sat by helpless on the sidelines praying. The greatest lesson I have learned is to tell them what is right, don't play games with them...yet still let them know God loves them and so do you. I always tell my young adults we won't let you starve...I will visit them and take them straight to the store..........and just visit"trying hard not to judge"..after all God forgave me and continues to forgive me...........Let's get real.

Thank you for all your testimonies. They give me hope. My son is 25 & a youth pastor in our church. He was instrumental in us coming to Christ when he was 12 years old. He has been a loner for most of his life with a few friends along the way. He had connected in the past with a few guys he met in high school & ended up with a dui which landed him in jail for 30 days (because of God's favor) & then 9 months of house arrest. Because his fines of $25,000 weren't paid at the end of his house arrest he was put on non-reportable probation (for 7 years or until the debt is paid). During this time, he grew in the Lord. He was a very strong example for the youth in our church. He counselled & prayed for many, studied the word night after night, had a real hunger & thirst for God. Then he moved out on his own & became connected to another group (3 or 4) of "lost souls" & ended up back out in the world living vicariously. When I look at him, I see a "darkness" on him. It's like the light of Christ that shone so brightly has extremely dimmed or even gone out. He's being evicted & we are going to be held responsible for all that he hasn't paid because my husband, in trying to help him when he was on track, decided that we would co-sign for his first apartment. We just bought a new home, so this puts us in a very bad situation. We know that the Lord will provide. When our son's income was cut from the church, he knew that he needed to get a job to supplement the cut, but he would not. He is very gifted in many areas but he is doing nothing with his life. It is so heart-wrenching to see such potential being wasted away. He can't see or hear us. At one point, he was accountable to our Pastor & held him in high regard. He would listen to his wise counsel & now he listens to no one. These people are not good for him be he can't see it. He is now living with them. I know they will get tired of taking care of him & put him out eventually. We have resolved to love him, but not let him come back home. He likes to get into comfort zones & won't come out. We have a 17 year old at home that we can't risk being influenced by his ways & habits. I have suffered a lot of heartbreak in dealing with my other adult children in the past but somehow I thought this one would take a differant route. So I pray & wait. I battle with the fear of what could happen but yet I try to "speak those things that are not as though they are"since I know that our words have power. With this child, these last 3 years have been the most difficult ever. But I wait in expectancy know ing that God is in control & there is something in this trial for me to get also according to James 1:1-4 & I hold onto Acts 2:39. Thank you for Jer. 24:7, Pam. I will treasure that one also.