Good Friday Thoughts

Abandonment

“Although my father and my mother have abandoned me, Yet the Lord will take me up [adopt me as His child].”

“For my father and my mother have forsaken me, But the Lord will take me up.” Psalm 27:10 NASB

If anyone knows abandonment and forsakenness, it’s Jesus.

Many of us have been forsaken and/or abandoned. There is a subtle difference, but the feelings are still devastating, dark, life-damaging.

The difference between forsake and abandon:

Forsake is to abandon, to give up, to leave (permanently) to renounce. Abandon is to subdue; to take control– slavery.

Sometimes it feels like both forsake and abandoning are happening at the same time in our lives. A spouse has an affair, parents leave either through addiction, death, or their issues, and colleagues heap work on us or gossip about us. Even worse, dealing with abandonment and being forsaken when we were children takes a lot of work, courage, and healing to overcome. We need to embrace the Lord who has taken us up and adopted us. Godly people are waiting to help you.

I come back to the Prodigal Son when I’m feeling abandoned. The imagery of the father rushing out to embrace his black sheep son in front of the judgmental Pharisees is so comforting. So uplifting. So encouraging. So loving.  How about the loving image of Jesus with the prostitute as she wept and cleaned Jesus’ feet? Then there’s the 23^rd Psalm, which is soothing and reassures us that we do have a Father who cares beyond human love. We may feel abandoned and forsaken, but if we just hang on, our Father reveals a new family, friends, and colleagues. He breaks the bonds of addictions, loneliness, shame, and spiritual poverty. Your Father covers you with His wings and sings over you. (Zephaniah 3:17)

Musings

We may feel abandoned and forsaken, but if we just hang onto faith, our Father reveals a new family, friends, and colleagues. He breaks the bonds of addictions, loneliness, shame, and spiritual poverty. Ask Him with an authentic, patient and open heart.

 Prayer

Father,

“When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’  Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.”

Thank you for adopting us forever into your Home. We cry, “Abba! Daddy.”

Amen.