The boy becomes a man

Yesterday was an adventure, wasn't it!
And all of you were there with me.
There in my disappointment.
There in my fears.
There in my reassurance.
Each of you took part in confirming and reassuring
me that the Lord has the heart of my son,
and I'm so thankful that I decided to be vulnerable
and share with you when my heart was hurting.
The Lord confirmed through all of you, as
well as through my devotional time with Him
that He is pruning Matthew's heart.
That is reassuring to his mom!
Liz, I love that you shared about your brother -
about the fact that he was probably secretly glad
that someone "caught" him.  You're right.
When we're doing what we know not to do,
we always feel guilty, hoping that someone will stop us.
But most of the time no person will stop us.  Most of the
time we struggle alone with the Lord over issues.
We want to be free, but we don't always see the way out.
Just so you know, the game Matthew was playing the last
couple of weeks was not an RPG, although he
admitted to us that he would still like to play them.
His dad and I told him last night that our convictions
differ on that.  Jeff, with my agreement, has
lifted the video game ban.  WHAT?!  You may be thinking
we're nuts. Well, the time has come for Matthew to start
being free to make more of his own choices.
There are still some things that are givens in this house.
He will keep his room clean, he will keep up with the
dishwasher, he will go to church (and he assured us that
would be no problem as he really wants to be there!), and
he will be kind to his family.
It's a stretching season for all of us as we let go of a boy
who is becoming a man.  The man will not look the way I think
he should look - not today, maybe not ever.
But will he look the way the Lord wants him to?
That is what I'll be praying for as Matthew learns to wrestle
things out for himself.
Will he go to Bryan College in August?  Yes, he will.
Will he succeed?  I pray he does!  I think he will.
Even with my heart shaking, I believe the Lord has said
this is the time and the season and the place that our
son is to be released to.
Is he totally ready?  Maybe not.
But will the Lord make him ready?  I have to believe He will.
Guess what?!  All of you remember that Matthew's job is
at Freedom in Christ Ministries.  As part of him working for
them, they are going to connect him with a mentor who will take
him through the 7 Steps of Freedom.  If that is not God's
timing, I don't know what is!  We've told him, and he's more
than ready, to initiate that with his boss today.  To let them
know he wants to begin that asap.  Jeff will even call and speak
with the office president if needed to get the proper paperwork
completed.
Since Matthew is not 18, we have to sign permission for
him to be mentored and taken through the counseling.
They have chosen a man in his 60's to mentor Matthew, and
we're SO excited about that!
It's all coming into place.
Will I still freak out from time to time?
Yes, I will.
Will you all calm me down and remind me of God's faithfulness?
Yes, I know you will!
Will Matthew be successful in his walk with God?
Absolutely!
Choosing trust,
Maria