Lost - Sherry Bridges

“For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. So they began to celebrate.” Luke 15:24

“Mommy! Daddy! Where’d they go?” I said in a frantic whisper.

I whirled around in my black patent leather shoes, looking up at all the people rushing past me. I didn’t know any of them. Tears rolled down my cheeks and I sponged them with the sleeve of my green Sunday dress. I was lost at a Billy Graham Crusade.

This was uncharacteristic of my eleven years as the older sister of four brothers. I prided myself on staying out of trouble, unlike my siblings. My parents held my brothers’ hands as we weaved our way through the crowd. Crew members distracted me with their sound check and, in a flash, my parents had vanished.

A kind usher knelt down and gave me his handkerchief. He said an announcement could be made, letting my parents know where to find me. The stranger had no idea my fretful eyes were more about my father’s anger than for being lost.

“Sherry?” One of our church members saw me with the usher. “Where’s your mom and dad?”

“I don’t know. I lost them.”

“Come on. I’ll help you find them.” Mr. Owens grabbed my hand and we proceeded down the aisle just as my father was coming up the aisle. I wanted to run and leap into his arms, but feared his reaction. Dad’s relieved smile was the cue I needed to run towards him.

Have you ever lost your way? Several times since the tender age of eleven, I’ve lost mine. The prodigal son messed up so badly, he didn’t feel worthy to be his father’s son anymore. The only reason he came home was to beg for a servant’s position in his father’s household.

What a surprise he received—a welcome home treatment fit for royalty. Our heavenly Father waits with open arms for us to find our way home. Nothing is sweeter than knowing God’s love is unconditional. Repent, reconnect, relax, and know the King of Kings is celebrating your return.

Sherry Bridges is a freelance writer with a passion for teens whose parents have suffered a divorce. She is surprised and completely humbled that God wants to use her as a voice of encouragement for this audience. She is writing her first novel, Summer Hill, and is excited to see where God takes her on this journey. She lives in Greenville, SC close to her two awesome daughters and is involved at Washington Avenue Church, where her brother is the senior pastor.

Are You A List Maker? - Sherry Bridges

"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colossians 3:13

He sent me a list! I read the e-mail over and over again—at least fifty times. The pain was fresh each time. Yearning for closure to our break-up, I left a card on my ex-boyfriend’s doorstep days earlier. This was his response. A numerical list of you dids and you did nots. Glaringly absent were the he dids and he did nots.

Our three-year relationship ended abruptly. Tearless eyes and a numb heart were getting me through long days without him. Beneath my snazzy business suits and fancy makeup were hollow eyes and a skeletal body. The woman I was accustomed to seeing in the mirror no longer looked back at me.

I left work early and headed home to contemplate my response to his e-mail. Grabbing my favorite comfort food, Cheez-Its, and a box of tissues, I plopped down on the sofa. Channel surfing landed me on an interesting sitcom where the main character, Earl, carried around a piece of paper with a long list of names. Names of people he had hurt or wronged. He tried to make recompense so he could mark another name off his list.

Earl had the right idea. We are wired to need forgiveness. Why do we care so much if people forgive us? We need forgiveness from others so we can forgive ourselves.

After a sleepless night, I reached for my Bible and sought out verses on the subject. Colossians spoke to me clearly. Jesus looks for teachable moments. This was mine.

God pressed on my heart. “You’re a list maker too.”

“I’ve never written a list of wrongs to anyone in my life!” I said out loud.

I read the verse again. Slowly, people’s faces were flashing through my head.

God spoke again. “The list doesn’t have to be written.”

The flashbacks were unbelievable. People from high school, college, and even church. Their faces were reminders of little things I harbored, keeping distance between us.

God made his point.

Jesus died so we can be forgiven. The least we can do is forgive, even when forgiveness is not asked. My pity party was over. I forgave the list. No response needed. Thank you, Jesus, for keeping me humble.

Do you have a list that needs to be erased? Think it through and then take it to the Master—erased and clean.

Sherry Bridges is a freelance writer with a passion for teens whose parents have suffered a divorce. She is surprised and completely humbled that God wants to use her as a voice of encouragement for this audience. She is writing her first novel, Summer Hill, and is excited to see where God takes her on this journey. She lives in Greenville, SC close to her two awesome daughters and is involved at Washington Avenue Church, where her brother is senior pastor.

Slaying a Giant - Sherry Bridges

“You come against me with sword, and spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of The Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”
1 Samuel 17:45

“Mommy and Daddy are getting a divorce.” These seven words changed the trajectory of our daughters’ lives forever. Never, in our wildest dreams, could we have predicted that fourteen years later, remnants of divorce would still cause such pain to our children’s birthdays and family events—vivid reminders that our family is “different.”

Reading the story of David and Goliath always escalates my hope in human nature. I love to pull for the underdog. Just imagine a young boy taking on a giant. Definitely something I would buy a ticket to see. He gathered five stones, yes, but God only needed one. Actually, God only needed a mere child with a desire to surrender complete control to Him.

How relative this is for me. I would rank my divorce as the largest giant in my life. Nothing would make me happier than to slay it! Get rid of it for good. Make it go away and leave my children alone. Instead, I’m left with the lingering consequences of the choices I made.

What are your giants? They lurk in all our worlds—bigger than life problems with repulsive breath that hiss and snort fear into our lives. Some giants are here to stay. Some we create ourselves. Some we don’t. Whatever the case, they’re always a challenge.

David didn’t give it a second thought. Trust God. Period. In fact, he denied any armor, and had to plead with King Saul to let him fight the giant. He stepped toward Goliath confident in God’s power.

Thank goodness, we can do the same today. We can speak to our giants in the name of our Lord, and then, relax. Just as David tapped into God’s power, we can tap into the same power—all we have to do is ask.

How cool is that?

Sherry Bridges is a freelance writer with a passion for teens whose parents have suffered a divorce. She is surprised and completely humbled that God wants to use her as a voice of encouragement for this audience. She is writing her first novel, Summer Hill, and is excited to see where God takes her on this journey. She lives in Greenville, SC close to her two awesome daughters and is involved at Washington Avenue Church, where her brother is senior pastor.