He's Still In There

The little boy that wants to be accepted and have a place in your heart is still in there - inside of Branden - under some layers of cold world independence - but we saw it the other night when we had a talk about his change in lifestyle since he received his first paycheck. I don't want to play on his need to be accepted as a way to manipulate him into making good decisions. I want him to know the complete acceptance of his Savior, Jesus. I want him to desire to know Him more and to understand what a blessing it is to become more and more like Him. Anyway, the overall report of our talk is that it went well. We had hoped he would agree to attend a program at church that is called Celebrate Recovery - it deals with hurts, healing and habits. He's not there yet but the seed has been planted. And mostly I hope and believe that he heard that we love him and will be here for the long haul as he makes decisions and progress toward an independent future.
So this morning I get a text from him - I still smile when I think of it - saying this morning a driver picked him to work the route with - if you aren't picked then the boss assigns you to someone. It was as if I just heard from my little boy that someone picked him for their dodgeball team at recess. He received recognition for his work and that was so good for him. He said this is the first real job he's had since he sold cars out of high school - that only lasted a few months. Can you imagine - that was 10 years ago.
To my wonderful daughters who read my post and to my fantastic youngest son who probably doesn't, thank you for understanding and allowing your dad and I to invest this time and energy into Branden. You know he has always had a place in our hearts and we are thrilled to have this opportunity to help him get on the right path in life. Having him with us may consume some of our energy and focus but it in no way diminishes our love and pleasure we find in each of you. God has expanded 'our territory' (that prayer of Jabez is dangerous:)) and He has expanded our ability to love even more. To my dear friends who read my rambling, thank you for the prayers that are so necessary as we move forward trusting God to reveal what is next.
It may be a rainy, cold day but my heart is warm and full today.
Oh, when talking to Dana the other day, she was talking about someone who always whined about something and I thought of this clever saying: "Why don't you go back to your kitchen cabinet and find a glass that is half-full. The half-empty one you are carrying is stealing your joy." Okay, I thought it was clever anyway :).