The Flip Side

~~ Luke 15:32 (NIV84) ~~ But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.  



 by Carley Cooper


Gravenhurst, Ontario
Photo by Carley
Remember your senior year of high school?  I bet it felt like the longest year of your whole life, as though it was twice as long as other years.  Why?  Well, it was because you were anxiously waiting to finish high school, to start your life as an adult.  Do you remember the day you left home; I am guessing, because you were leaving for college?  It was an awesome day.  You got to move into your own space, and do your own thing.  Mom was not there to tell you that you have to eat broccoli.  Even better was that she was not there to tell you that you cannot have sugary cereals, for dinner; or cold, left-over pizza for breakfast.  There was no curfew, you could watch whatever you wanted on TV, and party with your friends all weekend long.  Venturing out into the world without a chaperone looking over your shoulder; was the ultimate freedom.  It probably never occurred to you to feel like you were lost.

Well, for some, you are now on the Flip Side; you are now the parent.  You are sending your own kids off to college for the first time, and you are feeling scared half to death to let them go off into the big scary world alone.  “My baby is growing up way too fast.”, “How am I going to protect him when he is in another city?”, “What if he gets sick?  Who is going to take care of him?”, “How am I going to save him from dating the wrong type of person, or from getting involved with a bad crowd?”, “How do I protect him from peer pressures of drugs, sex and booze?”.  The list of things to worry about is never ending.  Every fibre of your being wants to hold that child, protect him; never let him experience any hurt, disappointment, or hatred.  If you had your way he would never even experience a cut finger.  Above all else, you certainly do not want your sweet baby doing the things you did in college!  You want only love, laughter and joy in your child’s life; for his whole life.

As a parent, you are most certainly not alone in those things you are feeling.  Every parent who has ever had to let go of a child has felt these things and much more.  Now, for just a minute; imagine what it would feel like if your baby went off into the big world and then stopped all contact with you.  What would that feel like for you?  There are no emails, no letters, no text messages, no phone calls, and no visits home for the weekends or holidays.  Even worse than that, all your calls and messages go unanswered.  You have given this child everything that he has ever needed, guided him, moulded him, and loved him with your whole soul more than life itself.  It would be excruciating to have him willingly walk out of your life without an explanation. 

The feeling that you would be completely lost without your child is something that Jesus understood very well.  In Luke 15, Jesus tells us parables of the ‘Lost Sheep’, ‘Lost Coin’, and the ‘Lost Son’.  When the lost is found, in each parable, the Master has a celebration.  Nothing else matters, except that the Master is reunited with the lost.  When we venture out into the world alone, without God, and determined to live our life according to our own agenda, we get separated from Him.  We are lost.  More than that, God’s heart is missing us and longing for us.  He wants us with Him.  We may not even be aware that we are lost because we are too busy enjoying the scenery on the journey we have laid out for ourselves...  or worse, we are just coasting along without a plan, not knowing or caring where we are headed.  The problem here is that we end up, either, on a dead end track; or one that is leading straight to the edge of a cliff.  God is trying to get your attention to let you know that only He can move us onto the right track.  He wants to protect us from getting lost, falling over the edge, or ending up in the middle of no-where. 

God has the most amazing blessings waiting for you if only you would call home.  He is as much a member of your family as your spouse, kids, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and even pets. With every decision you make, every trip you plan, every holiday you celebrate; Jesus should be included in the plans.  For example, I wake up every morning, no matter what the weather, look out my window and say “Good Morning, Lord.  Thank You for the wonderful day; and thank You for the wonderful apartment in this wonderful city.”  He is a member of my home and I like to greet Him as I would anyone else when I get up in the morning.  I have also learned to make decisions according to what He would like me to do.  I pray to Him and wait for an answer.  Sometimes I do not get the answer I would prefer, but I have learned not argue with Him anymore as I used to do.  It is a little bit like chasing your own tail... completely pointless.  A friend once offered me the most incredible gift; of a trip of a lifetime to travel Europe.  I turned it down, because the specific circumstances surrounding this gift would have placed me in a position that would likely cause me to stray away from God.  I am not willing to take that risk.  I do not ever want to live without God in my life, again.

Do you make God a member of your family?  Do you include Him in decisions you make?  Do you talk to Him every day?  If not, He is calling you.  He is your Father, and He loves you.  He misses you, just as you would miss your kids or anyone else in your family that would suddenly drop from the scene.  So, before you go about your life without including God; put yourself on the Flip Side and imagine how He is feeling having to live without you.  He is waiting to celebrate your home coming.



 ~~ Dear God ~~  The plans that You have laid out for my life are perfect.  They include dreams and blessings beyond anything my imagination can come up with.  Please always keep me close to You, and do not ever let me wander off into the world alone to follow my own track.  I love You and I do not ever want to live my life without You.  Just like the lost Son, in Jesus’ parable, I want to come home to live my life with You, and I am looking forward to the celebration that You have planned.  In Jesus name, AMEN.



40 comments :

  1. Thanks, nice to think of things from someone else's perspective, never thought of it this way...I know praying at nite is not enough, but that's all I've got to give right now... which reminds me " come to me all who are heavy laden and I will give you rest".... do I ever need it...

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  2. SLIMLILA - As long as you can still have faith in God and continue to talk to God you have all you need to succeed. He is on your side. I will pray for you. BIG HUGZZZZ

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  3. What great success you've had and what an inspiration for me and others. And thanks for your latest blog. Way-to-go. Awesome. Great! :-D

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  4. Thank you so very much for the wonderful comments about my blog. I am so thrilled that you like it. I hope it brings you blessings. Please feel free to share it and 'Like' the Facebook Fan Page if you're on FB. Hugs.

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  5. Carley, you are so young, yet you put your finger on the heart ache a mother or our Lord must feel when their very own become Missing In Action.

    In our Children’s sermon last Sunday, we were asked to count the number of people in our pew . . . all three people asked answered incorrectly. The lesson Jesus taught us was this: “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20) Thanks for sharing!

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  6. Evelyn...

    you are beautiful. Thank you so much. I don't feel so young half the time. I am older than I look. I get people telling me that a LOT... I always have. I get it from my Mom.. and she got it from her Mom.

    Sometimes when I sit down to write, I'm not even sure what I want to write about... but the messages come to me. I really think that God is working through me. It's the only way I know how to explain that I can write the way I do.

    BIG HUGS

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  7. So funny, I was in a car accident that involved 6 cars and started when a car hit me from behind sky rocketing me between the two rows of cars waiting at a red light. God was so much in every aspect of it. It could have been fatal, but he allow me to be a witness through it all.

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  8. MomFan... I am happy to know that God gave you a miracle... and I am very happy to see that you are certainly giving Him the credit. He is good. You are a blessing to me, and others as well. Hugs.

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  9. It's God just totally awesome?! Where would we be without Him?

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  10. SAC-6528... when I think about where my life was before I knew Him; I don't think I would even want to know where my life would be now without Him. I hope I never have to find out. Hugs.

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  11. STRAWBERRYLASSSeptember 07, 2011

    Great blog!

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  12. Thank you StrawberryLass... I hope you have a very blessed week. HUGS.

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  13. Great! Thank you.

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  14. Thank you Lita. I wish you a very blessed week. Your feedback means so much to me. It helps keep me motivated. HUGS

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  15. That looks interesting I think ill try it.

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  16. Thank you SeptLefty... I hope it brings you many blessings. Thank you for the input. HUGS.

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  17. Sounds interesting!!!!

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  18. Thank you Dream2009. I hope it brings you many blessings; and that God speaks to you through my words. HUGS

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  19. Carley, that's such a well-written blog - and a wonderful analogy! Hugs

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  20. Thank you so very much KaseyCoff... your words are a true blessing to me. Thank you for the continued support and feedback. It helps so much to keep me inspired. I hope you are truly blessed by my words. HUGS.

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  21. Brenda JoyceSeptember 07, 2011

    Thank you so much for posting this message. My youngest daughter is away at college 9 hours away for the first time, so your message really spoke to me. It made me realize I should never be lonely with Jesus by my side.

    Keep sharing those blogs!

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  22. Brenda Joyce... getting feedback like yours that tell me my words spoke to you is a true blessing for me. Thank you so very much. It helps me to know that my goals are being met. HUGS.

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  23. What a beautiful blog, It is so sweet and wonderful to think about the blessings and treasures God- Our Father gives us. To see such beauty poking through such a hard surface is...awe inspiring. Thank you for this reminder.

    Deb

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  24. Having kids actually made me think of how things we do hurt God without realising it-just like our children won't realise it until they're older-just like I realise some things I did when i was younger was pretty mean to my mom.
    It's a process of realisation. It comes with maturation in Christ.
    Nice blog. I really like your thoughts!

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  25. Thanks so much Deb. Every time my eyes are opened to something new it just helps me to realize just how Big and how Wonderful God really is. Awe inspiring is exactly how I feel. Hugs.

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  26. Thanks Sparklise, for the awesome feedback. You are so right. I'm not a Mom, but I have certainly been led to realize some mistakes that I made with my parents. It's a good thing that both our parents, and God love us so much. Where would we be without it? Hugs.

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  27. Thank you for sharing a beautiful message. God is always a part of my life. maybe I don't always succeed in following His plan for me, but I try. I know He is my Father, and He only wants the very best for me always! When I'm not with Him, I miss Him and hear His voice calling, "my daughter where are you today? Come HOME!"

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  28. HighOnFaith... What wonderful beautiful words. One of the greatest blessings I have found since becoming a true Christian is hearing God's voice talking to my heart. It is the most beautiful thing. Hugs.

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  29. Cool!

    Thanks for sharing! :)

    Jen

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  30. Thanks FINFIN2 and Jen... Thanks for reading, and thanks for the feedback. I hope you are blessed in some way by it. Hugs.

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  31. DIXIEDOODLEDEANSeptember 07, 2011

    Even when you wake up and are numb with grief, you can thank God for carrying you and preparing you for the valley. We are so blessed to have Holy Spirit with us in this walk.

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  32. DixieDoodleDean... you are so right. I've found also that just looking back at the things I have come through and survived helps me feel very blessed. I'm writing a book about my story to share one day; so I've done a lot of looking back. I am so blessed to have Jesus walking with me. Hugs.

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  33. Carley, you are so young, yet you put your finger on the heart ache a mother or our Lord must feel when their very own become Missing In Action.

    In our Children’s sermon last Sunday, we were asked to count the number of people in our pew . . . all three people asked answered incorrectly. The lesson Jesus taught us was this: “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20) Thanks for sharing!

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  34. Evelyn...

    you are beautiful. Thank you so much. I don't feel so young half the time. I am older than I look. I get people telling me that a LOT... I always have. I get it from my Mom.. and she got it from her Mom.

    Sometimes when I sit down to write, I'm not even sure what I want to write about... but the messages come to me. I really think that God is working through me. It's the only way I know how to explain that I can write the way I do.

    I'm not a Mom... at least I've never given birth. Some tell me that I kinda know what it's like because I have dogs. The feelings about being a Mom, I just know from longing to be a Mom. It's not likely to happen, though I never give up faith for a miracle. I am very good at putting myself in a situation and knowing what I would feel if it were a real situation. People say about parenthood, and other topics, that you can't know the feelings if you haven't lived it, but I don't agree with that always. As long as one has a big heart and a big imagination; you can come pretty close to knowing how you would feel in certain situations.

    BIG HUGS

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  35. Thank you Carley

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  36. I love SP and how the Lord has used this place to meet such wonderful people. I enjoyed your blog and testimony. Hugs

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  37. Thank you Sherry for your kind words. You are so right. God has used SP to be a major blessing for so many. I certainly cannot begin to count the blessings I have gotten because of SP. HUGS

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