My Dear friend, Kelli, in the mist of her hopelessness, made a decision that will change her life forever. She tried to end her life and take her mentally ill daughter with her. She struggles each day inside her small jail cell that she shares with 3 other women, to search for a crumb of hope. She longs for an end to the pain; the pain in her heart and the pain she inflicted on her family that fateful day she lost it!
I have to believe that there is work God wants to do in her and then through her as she waits on Him. He made her the dynamic person she is–intelligent, witty, encouraging, tender, loving and so much more! She is His awesome creation with a side of free will. He made an amazing woman. I pray daily for her freedom, internally as much as outwardly.
Looking around middle class America it’s easy to see that so many of us are on the other side of the jail cell, but still not free. Chains made of iron, or abuse or loss can keep us from believing we could ever feel true freedom and the fullness of peace. In a world where we have everything at our fingertips, endless buffets, 100’s of cable channels, malls, spas, resorts, how is it that so few of us has True Peace?
I was reading about an American mom who seemed to have it all, college degree, good job, family….and had the opportunity to go with Compassion International to write on poverty in the slums.
What she was most shocked by, was the smile on one of the orphan’s faces. She had to ask why he appeared so happy and he told her, “I have Jesus, and He is enough”.
That feels like such a punch to my gut. I have been truly in awe of being in America and having all the fabulous luxuries that I have. I am grateful, so very grateful, but so humbled. I can’t spend the rest of my few days on earth just soaking in the staleness of contentment and complacency that is my life. I was made for more than this! I feel like a bull in the holding pen and I want to be released. I don’t know how that will look or even what direction that will be, but all I know is I am ready to move!
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Alyssa Wenzel, native of Kalamazoo, and her husband Chris, aspire to impact their blended family of four teen & pre-teen girls for the Kingdom. Alyssa vacillates between being like Martha, “The Doer”, and Mary, “Soaking in the present”. She is a lover of words, and writes out her struggles to gain clarity on her journey. She longs for impact and understanding of God’s divine plan as she seeks to make souls stronger with her words.
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Thank you, Alyssa for your heart and your passion. Yes, ready to move…I believe you are a woman on the move…your willingness to write this entry is proof of that. You have courage and tenderness, a wonderful combination. You Go Girl!