There is, however, some good in you, for you have rid the land of the Asherah poles and have set your heart on seeking God. (2 Chron. 19:3)
WHERE ONCE THERE WAS A SPRAWLING NEIGHBORHOOD with stately houses, now only rubble remained. Streets that had been lined with beautiful fences with perfectly trimmed yards were no longer recognizable. Meredith remained near her father’s side while she helped him sift through debris left by a large tornado the previous day. Meredith watched her father trudge through what used to be his home. After what seemed like hours her father fell to his knees and threw his hands in the air. “I give up! Forgive me, Lord.”
“Dad, are you okay?” Meredith asked as she ran to her father.
“I had too much stuff, pointless stuff. But this stuff doesn’t matter! I lost my way. I had forgotten what was really important in life. Meredith, this is the first time I’ve seen you in over two years! I’ve done it all wrong and this was God trying to show me that.”
“Oh, Dad,” Meredith began as she knelt down beside him, “God didn’t do this. He wouldn’t destroy your home.”
Dad began to cry.
“Maybe not,” he paused, “but I’m going to live differently now. I didn’t need all this. Maybe I can come stay with you for a while and start over?”
“Sure, Dad. I’d like that.”
Remove all obstacles that separate you and God.
Amy Knepp is a graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University and a stay-at-home mother of four children.
© 2018 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
