Thankful for God’s Intervention

A week ago, our daughter had a dress burning celebration.  You might be asking “what in the world is a dress burning celebration?”  It is exactly that!  Her day began by going over to her sister’s house to have her hair and makeup done professionally.  It is always good therapy when the two of them get together and share their lives, and the love they have for each other.  After, she met up with one of her best friends who provided the champagne and helped her gather the items she needed for the photo shoot.

It was a bitter sweet day, instead of celebrating the bond of holy matrimony; we were celebrating the freedom from the bondage her past had held her in.  She was finally taking steps to let go of shattered dreams, and emotional ties that contributed to her reluctance in starting over.  This was no magic ritual, but an action symbolizing her willingness to let go of a past relationship that contributed to her emotional paralyzed state.

See it was three years ago September, when our daughter was to be married to a man she had been dating for approximately seven years.  It was during the summer of 2016 when he asked for our blessing and her hand in marriage. My husband and I had some reservations. But after sharing with him our concerns, we gave him our blessing. 

When he proposed a couple of weeks later, she accepted and they set a date to be married the following September.  Our family was very excited and began the planning.  We had fun picking out the gowns, flowers, venue, and all the rest that goes along with the preparation for that special day. However, God had other plans.

Like a lot of parents, we pray for God’s will and protection for our children.  Unknowingly, that is what was taking place in February when I began having unsettled feelings.  I wasn’t quite sure why, but I ask my husband to specifically pray with me about our daughter’s future marriage.

I began crying out to the Lord, “If this isn’t the man Rissa should be marrying, and he is not what’s best for her, stop it.  If this marriage is going to draw her further away from you, I pray you would intervene.”  Soon after we began those prayers, I noticed a change in our daughter.  Her hesitation and lack of excitement to finalize the details for the wedding was evident.

It was the month of May, when Marissa came to me saying “She was calling the wedding off.” At first it was difficult for her to tell me the reasons, but as the days passed I learned of the mental and verbal abuse she had been suffering with all those years.

Due to the manipulation and abuse she experienced, she had built up many walls to protect herself from the hurt. But thank you Lord for a gifted therapist, her sister, loving friends, and Him answering prayers, she was now able to take steps to move beyond the hurt.

Before the burning of the dress took place, the photographer positioned her accordingly with the sunset. As I watched, I was overwhelmed with her beauty. However, my emotions became too much and I had to turn away. My heart which was once filled with an abundance of sadness for her, was now rejoicing in the moment of seeing our prayers for her being answered. For the passed three years our family prayed healing for her heart, and for her to remove the memories that haunted her every day.

As her dress disintegrated in the flames, I was thanking God for protecting our little girl throughout the years.  I know there will be days when she struggles, but she will be victorious in the Lord.  As someone recently reminded her; it is good she takes steps to purge the darkness, but she must remember, God is the only one who can give her true victory because He is light.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:5