A Prayer-athon for a Young Mother and Her Son

A young mother's heart is very anxious tonight. A court hearing on Thursday will determine if she is able to retain custody of her child, whom she has raised since he was an infant and he is now a pre-teen.

The anguish she is feeling must be very akin to the anguish I felt when I thought TP was dying - but even more so because I knew that if TP did die, then I realized she was going to a place which was safe and beautiful beyond our wildest imaginings. Not so for this mother, for her son will be ripped from his loving home and into an environment where it sounds like the people will do all they can to turn him against his mother. As a result, who knows what will happen to this young man and his future.

Tonight, I told my friend "In the midst of this nightmare, hold on to the knowledge that you have a clear conscience of knowing, without a doubt, that you have done nothing wrong. The only thing you have done is fight a glorious and painful battle for your son. No matter what the outcome is, you have done the right thing, while what they have done is evil and cruel - and they will have to face God as their judge when all is said and done. So, for the next several nights, I want you to concentrate on the fact that you have been a valiant warrior for your son, that you have done all that you can do to protect him and keep him from harm, and that your love will ALWAYS abide in his heart - that is one thing they can NEVER, ever take away from him. Hold on to your faith, for God is right there beside you, willing to comfort you and give you strength to go on".

For several years, I used to write court-ordered evalutions for familes and make recommendations based on my findings and my professional knowledge of what is in the best interest of a child. I had to quit that job due to the gut-wrenching anguish I would feel, knowing what was going on within families who did unspeakable things to their kids, or who would use kids as a pawn against each other. In this instance, I can't imagine that a court would take this son away from his mother. I pray that my gut instincts are right in this matter.

This young woman should not be going through what she is going through right now. More importantly, her son shouldn't have to be faced with being yanked away from his mom.

Please, please keep this young woman in your prayers over the next few days. She finds out on Thursday of the judge's decision. In the meantime, also say a prayer for her lawyer to have a change of heart about the financial demands she's placing on my friend. Please mention this post to your other blogging friends so that we can have a prayer-athon going on for her and her son - do a link, or whatever it's called :-)

Thanks, my friends!