History's first single mom

This past week presented me with a situation that I knew one day I would have to face, but didn't expect it to be this soon. I won't go into details on what it was, but write about what God showed me through it.
I have been spending the past year and a half working on getting healthy and learning how to set boundaries. (Speaking of boundaries...funny note...I asked my fellow codependent coworker to join me in seeing 'Boundary Hunter' not realizing the movie is actually called 'Bounty Hunter'. Shows how much I'm working on boundaries). When this situation came up, it was time for me to put into practice what I've been learning all this time. I knew I couldn't dodge the bullet forever. And on a scale of one to ten, I'd say I got a seven or eight. But anyway....
The next morning, as I was getting ready for work, I started battling thoughts that I'd dealt with a long time ago. I found myself relaying back to an old pattern of thinking that involved fear, confusion, and questioning. I started to get in a little panic. Then I started asking the Lord questions, "Was I wrong? Did I handle this situation poorly?" And I started to get so anxious about it that I started even questioning my experiences with Jesus. "Did I really hear you recently? Am I on the right track? Are you even hearing me?" And all of a sudden I started questioning His goodness.
It was then that He broke through the silence. "Remember Eve and the serpent? She questioned my goodness, too."
And then He calmed all my fears.
I say this as one who can speak from much experience. When things get difficult and we are caught off guard with the way our lives unfold, it's easy to question God's goodness in it. It's an age old temptation, beginning with the Father of Lies. The enemy is not creative. He uses the same old tactics that he's used for centuries. He's good at what he does. But it's important for us to remember that even through the heartache and pain, God indeed sees and cares. He's working behind the scenes on our behalf.
Today in Sunday School, the lesson was a continuation of the story of Abraham and Sarah. To make a very long story short, Abe and Sarah couldn't have children so they decided to take matters into their own hands and have Abe sleep with the servant Hagar. Well, as you can imagine that only made matters worse. There's a whole lot of preachin' that could be done from that story, but I'm going to skip ahead to when Sarah finally has a child of her own. Now Hagar's son, who Sarah raised as her own, begins to mock Isaac (born to Sarah and Abe). So Sarah has enough and tells Abraham to send Hagar and the son away. And he does. He sends this woman and their son into the desert with very little supplies. Then the Lord showed me something. Here is the first picture we see in the Bible of a single mom. She's sent away...into the desert...to fend for her and her son. She was deserted. Alone. Hopeless. She's been in this situation before, a few chapters back and God had her return. Not this time, though. So here she is again, with a son to provide for. When the water she was carrying ran out, she sat down and sobbed, telling God she can't bear to watch her son die. Then God opened her eyes and provided a well of water for her to drink from. And we don't know what else He provided, but she survived and thrived.
I sat next do a dear lady in class this morning. She's going through a tough time like so many women who have found themselves alone, deserted, scared and unprovided for. And I reminded her through this story that our God has a heart for single moms. For women who have been abandoned and left to fend for themselves. His heart beats for all, but I believe He truly hurts for women in these situations. And it's in these times that we will be tempted to despair and question His goodness. His character. But remember, He never changes. He is the same God that saw Hagar and provided for her, and He will do the same for you.
So this week, when the enemy rears his ugly head, cling tighter to Jesus. Dive into His word and refresh your memory with the truth that God sees you and has an awesome plan for your life. He can provide a well in the desert and turn your sorrow into joy. And not only will you survive...but you'll thrive.