True Freedom

I recently read a book called The God Who Won't Let Go by Peter Van Breeman. One of the chapters in the book dealt with true freedom. It was so beautiful that I thought that I should post an excerpt and prayer from it. Enjoy!

At a Berlin Catholic Convention of 1980, a doctors wife shared with the audience how she came, in a very personal way, to inner freedom.

" The life of a mother is one great adventure. Not a day goes by without surprises. One such adventure that changed my own life and that of our family considerably I want to share with you. I am the mother of five children who are now twenty-one, nineteen, fifteen and nine years old. I am a very happy mother now but that was not always so. There was a time-not so long ago-that I was very unhappy. I realized that I was not able to help my children in their problems. We did not understand each other anymore. The children withdrew from my husband and me. The situation reached a point that psychological stress affected my health. I experienced heart failure; during the night I could hardly sleep. The atmosphere of our family was extremely tense.

I prayed much. One day I prayed to the Lord, " Lord you alone can help. Tell me what I have to do!" And I received the answer, " Give me back your children. I have entrusted them to you for a while so you can accompany them. But now, give them back into my hand. Don't you think that I can guide them better than you?" And that was what I have done-with much pain and deep joy. Each child I individually gave back over to the Lord, with his or her weakness and faults, charm and love, hopes and dreams.

How much has changed since then! I am no longer afraid , no matter what happens to my children. If they go along paths which I do not understand, I still am sure: they are held in God's hands. All shall be well.

Something else has changed as well: our family life! Parents and children have found each other anew. Now, during the weekends, our children come home from college not just to get their laundry done, but they look forward with joy to our being together, to our sharing with each other, our experiences and conversations. It seems to me that the Lord has given me back my children in a new way. Thanks be to God!"

How beautiful that this woman experienced freedom! It was God that gave her this freedom! She realized that God wanted her to give Him her children for a little while so he could take care of them. In this way, He transformed the children. Slowly they became part of the family again. The mother obtained freedom by letting God in and help her struggling family.

This is a good message for us because we need to do this also. If something is bothering us and is keeping us from peace and freedom, we should hand over all of our troubles and stresses to God. God wants us to come to Him so that He can free us of our burdens. He has done it so many times already. He set the Israelites free from bondage in Egypt and most importantly freed us of our sins by sending His Son to die on a cross. God wants to us to have freedom both inside and outside always. We should not be afraid to ask Him for help.

Let us say a prayer for God to deliver us from whatever is troubling us-


Prayer for Freedom

By your truth, Lord God, You set free every person imprisoned in himself or herself. To freedom you have called us and to become men and women in the image and the spirit of Jesus Christ. We beseech you,give us the strength that His life has first provided, give us the openness that He has prepared for us, make us receptive and free so that with you, we may live for this world, today and everyday, forever and ever.

Amen:)