By Dee Peterson
There is a song by a Christian music artist that really resonates with me. Here is one portion of it:
“We will sing a new song
Let ‘hallelujahs flow like a river
We’re coming back to life
Reaching towards the light
Your love is like spring-time”
Two of my favorite words from Scripture are restore and redeemed. Those two words ignite thoughts of legacy and God’s faithfulness in my life. I often consider legacy as it pertains to my five children. I remember the depressed teen I was, the overwhelmed young mother I was in my twenties, the seeming midlife crisis I experienced in my thirties that convinced me the world offered me more than my husband and kids and they were better off without me anyway. “What happened to my life??” In fact, the world never gave me authentic comfort ever. I understand regret. I understand grief.
The day I cried out to the Lord to take control of my life was the day I started to sing a new song. I gained the boldness to seek restoration of my broken relationships with my children. The Lord in His Word assured me that I belong to Him and I am miraculously redeemed. I still have to live out consequences of my actions of the past, but I now have a love that the world cannot taint.
I felt called to minister to incarcerated women in 2012 and I can relate to knowing that a thousand experiences can lead to one relentless, damaging moment in time, which led me to prison. I can relate to a mother’s sorrow. Even when we are distanced from our children, God can restore our most important, sacred relationships with them. He has good plans that we do not always understand at the time. Much like Hannah and Samuel from 1 Samuel 1 and 2. Never underestimate what God can do with a willing heart. My relationship with my children is restored now and I reconciled with my husband after 10 years of divorce. Only God can do that!
Let our hallelujahs flow like a river this Easter season!
Dee Peterson
Director of Discipleship
Prisoners For Christ Outreach
(From the Spring 2021 Lifeline Global Newsletter)
