Abandoned
“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:8 NLT
Have you ever felt abandoned? I have felt that sick feeling of abandonment many times.
My dad was a planner. He followed a schedule, especially on vacations. We had to get from point A to point B on schedule so we would not lose our motel reservation…and before dark, so we can still see some sights. Stopping for gas was an interruption in his plan. I had gone inside to use the restroom. Thinking I was in the back seat, my family took off and left me standing alone at the gas station restroom. At first, I thought it was one of his pranks and he would put the car in reverse and they would all be laughing. My eyes filled with tears as I wondered how long it would be before someone noticed that I was missing. Abandoned.
When my flight attendant class flew to San Francisco on a familiarization flight, we were all waiting in a private lounge for our flight when I decided to use the restroom. When I came out, the lounge was empty. An agent had rushed in and beckoned them to hurry as our flight was leaving…they had forgotten about us. No one checked the bathroom. Abandoned.
One day when I came home from work, I walked into our apartment to find most of the furniture and all of my husband’s clothes missing. I thought perhaps he had found a new apartment for us and had begun moving. (Always the optimist.) I called him at work and was told that he hadn’t shown up in two weeks. He had done this before, and I knew he was gone again. How long this time? Yes, again, I felt abandoned.
When my sister and I lost both of our parents, we realized that we were orphaned, and felt abandoned. When we lost our husbands, we suffered loss and felt abandoned.
I know that you have been there too. What we feel, and what we KNOW, are very different. What we KNOW in our hearts, we do not see or feel at times. We know God never forsakes or abandons. He goes before us, and He is always with us. No matter who in this world has abandoned or failed us, He will never abandon or fail us.
Thank you, Lord God, that YOU never leave us abandoned. YOU are with us even when the world around us lets us down. Feelings are for a moment but YOUR promises are forever. Thank You, Lord, that we know without a doubt that whatever happens to us, we are never abandoned.
I hope your Christian fellowship has healed those horrendous wounds.. There are many of us. I have come to a place where I know in my heart that God is the one and only faithful and constant friend.
God bless you for your willingness to share and be vulnerable, as it is most difficult to even put such hurtful experiences into words, but so helpful to many who may be experiencing similar events and/or feelings. You may feel, at times that God is far, far away, however, when you turn abruptly, you ‘bump right into Him’……as in Hebrews 13:5b, & 6 “For He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you”. So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” NKJV