“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.” Is. 61:1-3

Her son committed murder. He was convicted and sent to prison for her life. As a result, the mom’s life changed forever. Now her Christmas’ begin in the wee hours of the morning. She lingers patiently outside a barbed wire fence of the prison yard. Many other parents, spouses, and children stand in the outstretched line – waiting for a brief period of time with their incarcerated loved one. Weekends and most holidays are the same scenario. This mom carries a grief I pray to never know. Yet she uses her pain for good. She witnesses in the slow moving lines. She prays and holds a mini church service on Sundays when the lines are elongated and hearts are heavy. She doesn’t waste her suffering.
To be honest, I’ve wasted my suffering. I’ve held pity parties. I’ve allowed pain to freeze me in my tracks. Unable to move, I drifted into a catatonic state the moment my emotional bomb went off. Life still continued in its rhythm. I proceeded like the walking dead. I read God’s Word, praying that it would be the smelling salts to wake me from my pathetic stupor. I got down on my knees, and even my face, begging God to heal my situation. As the old song states, “His love lifted me.” Not overnight, but in due time. I had applied an elastic bandage around my heart’s emotions, and wound it too tight. I restricted the flow of God’s life giving love and healing. The result was wasted woe. God waited patiently for me. (So did some devoted loved ones.) I was in need of being set free. God specializes in that. With bandages and hurts loosed, I was able to walk among the living again. No more wasted woe. I have a platform to share the healing love of my Lord. There are lines of people who need to hear!

Wasted Woe
Tagged on: