Our 20-year-old daughter who lives in a group home nearby, was spending much of this weekend with us for her birthday. Being together and having fun with her brought back a lot of memories about how she used to behave. Whenever things didn't go her way, she would become aggressive, destructive and violent. She had absolutely no self control—I could see her struggling with mental illness and everything that accompanies it—and it was ugly and painful for all of us.
After a year and a half of intensive treatment, she is like a new creature. She rarely raises her voice now and has learned to live within the boundaries of acceptable behavior or pay the consequences. She may have a relapse every once in a while, but the difference is like night and day. God, in His infinite wisdom, has chosen to surround her with folks who are equipped to handle her and her special needs, and we get to enjoy her as a daughter once again on a limited basis... for now.
In the midst of the multi-year trial we prayed, struggling to find comfort in God's word, looking for promises and direction when there were decisions to be made. What we learned was this—to do what we believed would bring peace. Peace became the operative word in our house, and even though chaos would arise, people were hurt, and things were broken, I can honestly say that I constantly felt the presence of God. I knew He saw everything, He felt our pain and He hadn't forsaken us or our daughter.
We declared the scripture over Katie without a shred of evidence that she believed it or understood it, yet that didn't matter. Here is what we said:
"This is what the Lord says, 'You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days, when you pray, I will listen. If you look for Me wholeheartedly, you will find Me. I will be found by you,' says the Lord. 'I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.'"(Jeremiah 29:10-14)
Yes, I know this prophecy is for the Jews, who became slaves in Babylon just as God said. But I also know that as of this century, millions of Jews have returned to their homeland from faraway nations as was foretold by Jeremiah. The Old Testament is filled with the colorful history of God's people—His chosen ones—a family into which we have been adopted (including Katie)! His assurance that He has plans for each of us is one of the promises that keeps us going when we face adversity. We are also assured that He will use those situations for our good.
This is a just a chapter in the story; perhaps someday I'll write a book about it. For now, I thank God that He has blessed Katie beyond belief and she has found peace.
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