The power of the repentant prayer

This entry is near and dear to my heart! As mentioned in the "about" section of the website. My husband and I spent several years of our lives dealing with, praying for and generally standing in the gap with my son who had unfortunately found his way into an addicted lifestyle of drugs and alcohol. I can't tell you how many sleepless nights I had crying from the depths of my soul for his recovery. He is a good man who found himself trapped in a place he didn't want to be but could not find his way out. Many people who don't deal with addiction struggle to understand why it was so difficult to walk away, but the cuts and bruises of life were deep and painful and for the longest time the only comfort was found in his addictions. I am a believer in the power of prayer! I believe we have a loving God who wants to help us through whatever we are dealing with, but unless there is true repentance there can be no healing, because without repentance within just a short period of time we find ourselves back in the same situation just like a dog returning to his vomit (gross I know but you get the point). After trying everything from willpower to AA with no luck a miracle finally happened! My son prayed the prayer of repentance and the burden of his decade long addictions were immediately removed. I know to some of you that may sound crazy, unreal even but it's true! I believe he was ready to walk away completely but he needed "help!" He was at his wits end, so he reached out to God, asked for forgiveness then asked for the help he so deeply needed. The results were a young man who woke up the next day with absolutely no desire to do any of the substances that had him in chains for years. For a long time, after he walked away from his self destructive behavior, I must admit I held my breath. Expecting that at any moment or with the next problem he faced my clean and sober son would come crashing down. Yet here we are over a year later and he is still going strong! He is the one who assured me that with his repentance God had removed all temptation...Incredible!

This painting came to me after watching my completely changed child for several months. My spirit danced as I created this piece!