I pray with great faith for you, because I’m fully convinced that the One who began this glorious work in you will faithfully continue the process of maturing you and will put his finishing touches to it until the unveiling of our Lord Jesus Christ! Philippians 1:6 TPT

This verse was a mainstay during the exhausting times when our oldest daughter, Elizabeth, was building her testimony as a prodigal. These experiences provided the background for my first book on hope, The Power of Hope for Prodigals: Prepare the Way Home. (You may purchase it through this link.)

Hope validates with confidence

I wanted to share a couple of paragraphs from the beginning and end of the book to inspire you to always paint a picture of God’s hope in the lives of those in your life who seemed to be running as quickly away from the Lord as they possibly can.

God is working the night shift and from the inside out. No matter what you see, continue to speak words of hope and validation of their destiny. They may be taking a detour and even in that, God is at work to make the best of the worst messes ever! Our family is a strong testimony to the faithfulness and greatness of the Lord.

God is always at work in the lives of those you love. Your confidence is in the scripture that confirms that the One who started the work in their lives will complete what He has started and will bring it to a good end. There is always hope.

The Beginning

Our daughter, Elizabeth, ran away from home and was gone for a couple of weeks. We had no idea where she was. (Keep in mind that this was before we had cell phones where you can track your child’s location.) During that time, there was  serial rapist attacking teenage runaways. I found it hard to sleep and was sick with worry.

Here’s the quote from the book:

Devoted to full-time ministry, my husband and I had dedicated Elizabeth to the Lord from her birth. We taught her Biblical principles, regularly prayed for her, and surrounded her with love. She received Jesus as her Savior at an early age and was nurtured in the things of the Lord.

“Where did we go wrong?” I sobbed as hopelessness enveloped me like a dark cloud.

Paint a Picture of Hope

Slowly, I realized I could cry no more. I was at a complete end of myself. My stomach ached. My throat and chest hurt. My strength was gone. I asked the Lord what to do and He told me to “Paint her a picture of hope.” When I asked Him how to do, He told me to begin to see her the way that He did.

Excerpt from The Power of Hope for Prodigals: Prepare the Way Home by Karen Sebastian.

Active Expressions of Love and Honor:

• When asked about your wayward one, use positive terms to describe their progress. One of my favorites is, “She is building an awesome testimony.”
• Release your anger and change your view of their future

Happy Ending

There are many more details in the book of the long process of how our daughter turned her life around. It was not easy, and yet, we had renewed hope to validate her future through faith and love.

In Elizabeth’s own words in the closing pages of the book:

“I would like to tell parents who have a rebellious child, “Don’t give up!” No matter what I did, my parents were always there. They didn’t force their beliefs on me. They  just loved me and believed in me even though I was making wrong decisions.

Love your child unconditionally. People make stupid choices, but we shouldn’t shut them out because of the mistakes they have made. Don’t give up on them. You can disagree with what they are doing, yet at the same time let them know that you love them.

When people do change, families need to change themselves. The past it the past. We all need to move forward and not let the relationship suffer. I know that when trust is broken, it can be hard to repair. At the same time, hope says that tomorrow is a new day. I’m so glad my family gave me the gift of hope so that I could move forward.

Dad bought me a little bracelet when I was in kindergarten. It had our address on one side. the other side has a little Precious Moments shepherd with his staff at the top and Psalm 23 beneath it. I never forgot that. No matter how tough I seemed outwardly, there was a soft place in my heart for what I had been taught. Dad used to tell me, “Elizabeth, you look tough on the outside, but inside – you’re just 50 cent putty. You can run all you want from God, but you have so many people praying for you that you don’t have a chance to get too far.”

I’m so happy to say that this scripture is now true:

Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of my life. Psalm 23 MSG

It’s good to be home.

Excerpt from The Power of Hope for Prodigals: Prepare the Way Home by Karen Sebastian.

Active Expressions of Love and Honor:

• The grace reign as you prepare the way home
• Validate strengths and honor the courage that it takes to move back to wholeness

Prayer

Thank You, Lord, that You are always at work. You never sleep or slumber. You know what is happening inside the one I love so much. Still, you love them more. Give me insight to paint ________________ a backdrop of hope rather than doom and gloom over the choices he/she is making. I trust that you are building a strong testimony for Your glory and honor. You have started a good work and will complete it a You bring him/her into maturity and the fulfillment of their destiny.(Philippians 1:16) In Jesus’ Name. Amen