Recently I wrote a post about my son who was homeless. He’d stopped taking his meds, left the group home where he’d been living, and was somewhere on the streets of LA. I didn’t know where he was or if he was okay. He hadn’t returned any of my calls. I didn’t know if he still had his phone, even. I worried he might be hungry or hurt or become sick with COVID.
I also did a lot of praying during that time. I asked God to watch over Michael. I prayed he’d find his way to a shelter or get picked up by the authorities and taken to a psychiatric facility where he could get the help he needed. Each day I prayed he’d survive another day on the streets, especially after I heard from someone who knew him that he’d been beaten up while he was sleeping outside one night.
God answered my prayers but it wasn’t the answer I’d hoped for. There was no Christmas miracle performed by an angel on Earth who intervened. No phone call from my son saying “Mom, I’m okay.”
Instead he got hit by a car.
When I finally got the call I’d prayed for, it wasn’t good news. Michael told me he’d been hit by a car and was in the hospital. He’d had surgery on a badly broken leg and would need weeks of rehab.
My initial reaction was one of horror and disbelief. “How could you be so cruel?” I asked God. I wondered if God was even at work here, or if what happened to my son was caused by the fickle finger of Fate. Then it dawned on me: God had answered my prayers. It just hadn’t come in the form I’d expected. I had asked Him to deliver my son from the streets to a safe place, and He Had. A bit banged up, but Michael was alive and expected to recover from his injuries. He had good people looking after him and a caseworker assisting him in lining up housing for when he was released.
I realized my son getting hit by a car was in fact a blessing in disguise. I thought back to the many times in my life I’d prayed for something when God had a bigger plan. The boy I prayed would ask me out when I was in high school. The job I prayed for I’d get that I didn’t end up getting. The pregnancy I’d prayed would happen that didn’t happen. Today I’m married to the most wonderful man in the world and don’t even recall the name of the boy who I had a crush on in high school. I have my writing career that I might not have had if I’d gotten any of those jobs I applied for. Instead of raising another child I’m enjoying being an empty nester—my two grown children are enough.
So next time God answers your prayers, try not to be too disappointed if it’s the wrong answer. Look at it from a different angle and you might see the “wrong” answer was the right one in the end.
Eileen,
Thank you for your words this morning. Very well said. For those of us that pray, we tend, or at least I do, tend to get specific in my prayers and I have to continually remind myself that He has the Master Plan or the “Blueprints” of our lives.
Your blog is a reminder to me to be open to his plans for us.
I will continue to keep your son in my prayers. Hoping you have a safe, healthy and just as important, a happy day.
Susan
Thank you for keeping Michael in your prayers. I believe in the power of prayer and this experience has taught me to let go and let God.
Simple, powerful and memorable. Thank you for that bit of hope today.
Thank you for letting me know that. It means a lot!
I think it is very brave of you to share this story about your son. Every post like yours helps to chip away at the stigma surrounding mental illness and remind us that every homeless person we pass is someone’s child, parent, or sibling.
I worry sometimes about oversharing. Thank you for letting me know my words have brought help and comfort to others.
Wow. This post gave me the chills, Eileen! Yes, sometimes our prayers are answered in very unexpected ways.
So true! This has been a good reminder to always look for the blessing in disguise.
I am so happy to read this… could end up being a new beginning. Im having a very difficult time right now myself. I need to find a new perspective. God Bless and watch over Michael.
I’m sorry you’re having a difficult time, Donna! I think it’s important in life to have faith and trust. Those have been the guiding lights in my life. I hope you find the path through your difficulties. You know the saying, You can’t control the wind but you can adjust your sails. I love that.
So beautiful, Eileen. This post is a bright spot in my morning.
Thank you, Tina! I know you know some of what I’m going through. Nothing like the comfort of a friend who’s traveled the same path.
While I am sorry Michael was hurt, I am glad that he is in a safe place and that your prayers were answered. I wish him a speedy recovery and a bright future. Isn’t it interesting when we look back on so many events on our lives and think “…oh, so that’s why that happened…”. But I know, at least for me, I have to be in the right frame of mind to review and trust in that path.
Amen. We all must trust in the wisdom of our Higher Power.
Beautiful post! He answers, just might not be what we thought our answer should be. So glad your son is safe!
Thank you so much. It comforts me to know there are so many kind people in the world.
I know for a fact that God answers our prayers. And in your case, I am so happy he came through in SUCH a big way. Saying prayers that Michael stays on track. ❤️❤️
Thank you, my friend. I know you’ve walked the walk and understand. Thank you for being present, always, in my life.
I remember that post, Eileen. It really stayed with me. And you’re right – we don’t always understand what God has in store for us. But when we trust, as you have, we see how he is protecting your son.
Thank you for sharing. Be well. 🧡
Thank you for listening. I don’t know what I’d do without my friends.
The same prayers you did, I am doing now. Its hard when you are a mother of a grown son who just won’t do the right thing. We try to help him but after years of trying, I had to make a choice. Yes he is homeless but that was his choice……So I prayed and cut the apron. Only because I was disabling him not helping him. May God protect him……………….
You’re so wise. I made the same choice. I let go a situation I couldn’t control. Codependency kills, and we have to think of ourselves and our other loved ones.
So sorry to hear of Michael’s injury, but glad he is somewhere safe with better prospects of care.
The very worst things that have happened in my life have consistently brought me blessings. I remind myself of that when the going gets rough. Miracles abound!
You’re in my thoughts and prayers.
Thank you, Janet! So true. Blessings come in all forms and through all channels.