When we first heard the news that Joel would be restricted from any contact with the boys for an undisclosed period of time, my heart felt suddenly adrift in a sea of unknowns. How long would our family suffer under this wrenching burden? I begged God for his assurance that this new and painful trial would be short-lived. But instead God promised me to carry the future for me, and give me the strength to live in the present.

Several weeks later as I was talking to him about our family’s grief and sorrows, God said to me, “Tabitha, this is merely an era. It will pass. I will bring it to an end at just the right time. You will not traverse this valley forever.”

When I told Joel about this encounter with God he said, “That’s interesting. Just the other night I had a dream that we were back together as a family. I prayed asking God it it were just a dream or a promise from Him.”  God’s assurance that He will bring our family back together has not come to either of us with a specific timetable. Instead we must live with the “confidence of things not seen.” And in that confidence we choose to thank Him for what he is doing and what he is going to do.

Our lawyer will be filing a motion (we hope this week) asking the judge to clarify the statement in Joel’s probation restrictions concerning his contact with children. If the judge will grant the motion and exclude the boys from Joel’s restrictions regarding children, then we could see a speedy end to this epoch. Is this the way God plans to work? We are certainly praying for a softening of the judge’s heart to receive the motion. And we beg you to pray with us for God’s hand in these legal actions. But most of all, we entreat you to thank God with us that He is in control and whatever method He uses, He will bring an end to this era.

Filed under: Christian Living