ESTRANGEMENT 3

YOU ARE THE TESTIMONY

I was walking a mom through the estrangement journey with her daughter at the hands of a spiritual leader. The pain was great.

She invited me over for dinner and was giving me a tour of her home when my eyes caught a framed piece of artwork that said, “This Family Brings God Glory.” My heart had an interesting reaction of longing and also repulsion as it poked at my own reality, walking out one of my own children’s journeys at the moment. I wrestled with it deeply and ended up making my own sign and putting it up on my prayer wall, but it continued to agitate me as we weren’t bringing Him glory (at least, not the way I thought we should be as a family). I wanted to rip it down so many times out of pure disappointment and discouragement.

One day, God said to me, “Your child isn’t the testimony, YOU are.” In that moment I knew that He was saying, despite all I went through as a child, despite the family that I had raised and now walking through separation with my child, MY response, MY heart posture, MY ability to forgive, MY reaction was the testimony. Something deeply shifted for me in that moment. Yes, I do bring Him glory because His testimony is in ME!

The harder battle will be in not allowing the spoken and unspoken message that this is your fault, you are a bad parent, and that somehow you deserve this. The challenge will be in continuing to not only live but find joy again.

DECLARE: No. No! No!! I will not be influenced by intimidation, fear or lies. I will not come under a spirit of rejection and abandonment. I will not take on false responsibility. I will not partner with hopelessness. I will not bow down, lie down, or shrink back. I am a child of God with a Father who has defeated the spirit behind this attack. I will cling to Him, His Kingdom, His power, His voice, and His resources in this hour. I WILL arise confidently once again.

And I still declare that THIS FAMILY BRINGS HIM GLORY!

Do you want to join our LIVE ministry call tomorrow, Thursday, at 11 am EST? If yes, upgrade your account. I will be discussing the estrangement topic in a proactive sense and things parents can do to steer away from the pitfalls many parents have fallen into.