August 7

Unimaginable

The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.  ––Psalm 9:9-10, NKJV

Pete and Julia (not their real names) adopted a six-year-old boy to add to their growing family, which included three biological daughters. They adopted their son—let’s call him Ivan—from Eastern Europe, and the whole family traveled to meet the newest member of the family.

A few years after returning home, Ivan starting sneaking into his sisters’ rooms at night and touching them inappropriately. Pete and Julia did all they could to address the crisis—therapy for everyone (personal and family), prayer, pastoral counsel, and home safety precautions to ensure that the incidents did not occur again. When the girls had to sleep behind dead-bolted doors—those cheap indoor locks that just need a paper clip to pick weren’t cutting it—their son starting sneaking outside, picking the lock to the window, cutting a hole in the screen, and reaching in to touch one of his sisters.

The couple knew that the solution for Ivan went way beyond double-locked windows and deadbolted bedroom doors. Eventually they were able to place their son in a fulltime residential treatment center catering to sexually abused boys. Amazingly, the $12,000-per-month cost was covered by their school district. This was a huge answered prayer. Three years later, Ivan and his sisters reconciled and he was able to ask their forgiveness and write an amends letter to each one. Ivan now lives in a group home with other men, and while the path ahead will be hard, the daughters are doing well and the family has made it through the worst of the crisis.

What’s your unimaginable? As God’s man, you need to think of these scenarios ahead of time. Not dwell on them, but think and pray about them. Though I pray you never experience anything as terrible as what Pete and his family went through, I do encourage you to ask God the tough questions about crisis. “If I die first, will my wife and children be taken care of?” “If my spouse dies first, how will I care for my children?” God wants only the best for you, but this is a dark world and God’s men need to face it head on.

Father, I pray that You prepare my heart and head for life’s crises. Help me turn to You immediately in such times.