Word Count: 1761

Contact Shannon Heiden

The Miracle In The Desert

by Shannon Heiden  
2/03/2009 / Devotionals

This article is dedicated to the men and women of Sunshine Acres Children's Home in Mesa, AZ.
For without their love and support, my family would not be where we are today. Thank you!


All things are possible for those who believe. (Mark 9:23)

A man found the cocoon of an emperor moth. He took it home so that he could watch the moth emerge from the cocoon. On the day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the moth for several hours as the moth struggled to force the body through that little hole.

The moth seemed to be stuck and appeared to have stopped making progress. It seemed as if it had gotten as far as it could and could go no farther. The man, in his kindness, decided to help the moth; so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The moth then emerged easily. But its body was swollen and small, its wings wrinkled and shriveled. The man continued to watch the moth because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand and be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the little moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with a small, swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

The man in his kindness and haste did not understand that the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny opening was necessary to force fluid from the body of the moth into its wings so that it would be ready for flight upon gaining its freedom from the cocoon. Freedom and flight would only come after the struggle. By depriving the moth of a struggle, he deprived the moth of health.

Beautiful One, have you ever struggled to break free of the chains that bind you? Do you know what it is like to be in a tight place, a place of restriction? Do you realize that it's not the struggling and squirming to break free that's so important, but that you don't lose heart and faint in the process?

Turning points. We have all experienced them. A turning point is a crossroad on a journey when you come to a defining moment that causes you to go in a different direction. Some years back, I had a defining moment that changed the whole course of my being. I was at the absolute lowest point in my life. I was homeless, drug addicted, and had lost everything, including my children. I had no job, no car and not a penny to my name. I was so broke that I couldn't afford to pay attention.

Because of my circumstances, I had made the choice to place my three young sons in the care of a Christian Children's home (Sunshine Acres). I had just left an abusive relationship and the shelters were full and could not take in a family as big as mine. Knowing that I could somehow survive, I knew that my children didn't deserve to be walking the streets and living out of garbage bags again. Little did I know that the worst day of my life, was actually the beginning, the first day of a new life for me and mine.

Surrendering my children was the hardest and most painful event in my life. Knowing that I had failed them, couldn't provide for them, and that our lives had come to this point, was the most heartbreaking reality I had faced. I just wanted to die and tried to. I weighed all of ninety pounds and tried to overdose on the drugs I had been abusing; I shouldn't be here.

But Along Came God.

God didn't allow that to happen. God had another plan and soon after I became aware of it.

One month later, I found my dad. This was a man I'd known about since I was twelve years old. I had always dreamed of this man. I would envision meeting him on the Oprah Winfrey Show. He would have searched for me, found me, called Oprah. They would have picked me up, flown me to Chicago, and in front of an audience of millions my dad would walk out from behind the stage with two dozen roses in hand. I envisioned tears in his eyes as he walked out and held on to me for dear life.

I would replay the scene over and over in my mind for years. This wonderful man would rescue me, love me and want me!

But it was only a dream.

Instead, I met my dad for the first time not in front of Oprah and the world, but in front of an audience of prison guards and inmates. I met my prince in prison where he was serving time for a horrible crime against a relative. It was nothing like I had envisioned; it was not a dream, but a nightmare.

I cannot convey to you how broken I was when this happened. Yet again, another let down, only this one was right up there with losing my children. I didn't understand why at this time in my life, when I was at the lowest point, God chose to drive another stake through my heart. But He did and, from where I stand today, I can tell you I am so glad He did.

I won't bother you with all the details of my journey, but in short let me say this: I have spent most of my years wondering "why" God was holding out on me. Who and where was my dad? Why wasn't I valuable enough for my own parent to want me or to even look for me? Why wasn't I anyone's favorite like my sister was? Why didn't I have any peace in my life, but rather a void I tried to fill at every turn with affections from drugs and abusive men? Why, Why, Why?

I didn't have the answers for many years and I wrestled with the thought that no one would ever love me. Because this was my fear, I acted out in ways that were destructive and depleted me of any strength and the courage to go forward.

But, when I had come face to face with the ugly reality of the why's, I had a turning point for the first time in my life. The eyes that could see but never did, were now opened and for the first time in my life, I realized that God was not holding out on me, but that He had spared me. God spared me from a life of even more pain and rejection. During the visit with my dad, I had the opportunity to sit with his family members and my half sisters. I quickly realized that their life was no picnic. I came to understand that even though I had felt a void and walked around with a fear of abandonment, this man would have destroyed me if given the chance.

God did not bring me to that prison so I could have a relationship with my dad. He brought me there so I could meet my Father. God wanted to finally, once and for all, destroy any and every expectation that was within my heart that some mortal man was going to rescue me. God put to death my hopes and dreams, because those dreams were set up for failure.

Beautiful One, we don't always understand why we have to struggle. We don't know who we really are until we come face to face with a God who is jealous over us. It was a hard road I had walked, but now that I did and God turned me a different way, so much pain, abuse, and bondage has broken off of me. God is my dad. God is my counselor. God is my friend. God is my helper and God is my deliverer. God wanted me to know that He could only be the one to fill that awful void in my life.

When I went to meet this man, I was broken, angry, confused, and hopeless. The cocoon I wore into that prison, that ugly shell I had been struggling to break out of, finally fell off; I did it. I came out at just the right time, in exactly the right way. God was very careful to not allow anyone with good intentions to clip me out to soon, for He knew it would have crippled me for the rest of my life. I would have finished the remainder of my days small and shriveled.

As God was healing my past, He also redeemed my future!

Beautiful One, you must know that God is with you through all of your struggles. He has not left you, He is right there as you squirm inside that cocoon. And when the time is right, when it is your time, you are going to emerge victorious and soar high above any injustice in your life. Hang in there, don't give up, you're going to make it. You may feel like the moth, that you aren't making any progress and can't go further, but remember, your God is keeping careful watch over you, and He will not clip you out too soon. He will not let you emerge ahead of your time for He knows that it would hinder you for the rest of your life. Freedom and flight will come, after your struggles. A brand new life is just around the corner!

My friend, if you are facing a struggle, remember this; your story has already been written, don't jump ahead of all the chapters to read the ending.

I personally have spent so many years despising myself because of the pain that I incurred. I heaped more trouble upon myself than was necessary, but God knew exactly what needed to be done and He provided exactly what I needed in order for that to happen. When I was going through my trials, I didn't have the understanding that I do now. We don't know what we don't know, but now that I am on the other side of my hardship, I can look back with a different perspective and see how a loving God was with me every step of the way.

And what He did for me, He can do for you.....

Beautiful One, just believe, because He will be your miracle in your desert......

Shannon Heiden
[email protected]
changingonelifereachingmany.typepad.com

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be! Click here and TRUST JESUS NOW

Read more articles by Shannon Heiden

Like reading Christian Articles? Check out some more options. Read articles in Main Site Articles, Most Read Articles or our highly acclaimed Challenge Articles. Read Great New Release Christian Books for FREE in our Free Reads for Reviews Program. Or enter a keyword for a topic in the search box to search our articles.

Enter comments below. Due to spam, all hyperlinks posted in the comments are now immediately disabled by our system.

Please type the following word below:

Not readable? Change text.

The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.

Hire a Christian Writer, Christian Writer Wanted, Christian Writer Needed, Christian Content Needed, Find a Christian Editor, Hire a Christian Editor, Christian Editor, Find a Christian Writer