Forever Blessed (Women of Prayer) (31 page)

“Sure, no problem.” The girl went into Matt’s room and opened a textbook.

“She’s in her third year of college. She wants to be a doctor. She’s a good kid.”

Laney was glad to hear it. She seemed like a nice girl.

The two women sat down at a table in the lounge. “I have done a complete evaluation of Matt. Not only that, but our doctors have given him a complete physical. After talking with him, I am able to tell you with certainty he was not physically violated. He exhibits none of the signs of a child who has been abused in that manner. Besides the lack of food and water toward the end of his captivity, he seems to have been treated fairly well. Of course being kidnapped is a horrible experience for any child. But, he wasn’t threatened or physically harmed. He wasn’t sexually abused. With some counseling I expect him to fully recover. This type of kidnapping almost always goes hand in hand with someone close to the family. They tend to care enough about the child to not want the child harmed.”

Laney let out a sigh of relief. “Thank God!”

“I believe Matt’s doctor is going to release him tomorrow, but he will talk with you more about it later.” She re-arranged some papers in her folder. “Do you have any questions for me?”

Laney just shook her head. She was afraid if she spoke she would lose every ounce of control she possessed.

“Okay then, I’ll let you get back to your son.” She extended her hand. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”

Laney shook her hand and managed a small whisper. “Thank you.”

She sat down next to Sheila and told her the good news.

Sheila exclaimed, “Another praise report. God is good.”

Laney couldn’t help but agree with her.

The next morning the nurse loaded up the vases of flowers and toys on the pushcart and helped Matt climb into the wheel chair. “Why do I have to ride in this thing? My legs ain’t broke.”

Laney couldn’t help but correct him. “My legs aren’t broken.”

“Right, mom, that’s what I said.”

She lifted her head toward heaven and mouthed
Thank you.
Her son was back.

*  *  *  *

Matt was the first one through their door and Laney followed close on his heels. Ella was there. Mark and Jessi and their three kids were there. Austin, Sheila and the boys were there as well. Ella had a big pan of honey glazed chicken sitting on the counter. Joy gave him a welcome home hug then quickly chastised him. “It’s about time. We’re starving.”

Everyone laughed. Ella pulled the biscuits out of the oven and placed the mom’s potatoes and scalloped corn on the counter. She addressed Matt. “Are you hungry?”

“Am I hungry? I have been waiting for this meal my whole life.”

Ella pulled him into a big hug. “I missed you so much.” She was determined not to cry, but it was difficult.

Jessi placed a blueberry pie on the table. “Aunt Merry made this just for you. Do you think you can eat the whole thing?”

“Are you kidding? Yeah, I can eat the whole thing.”

“That’s what she thought, so she made two.” Jessi bent down to give him a hug. “She said to give you a hug from her too.” She squeezed him extra tight then sat the additional pies on the counter. “She also sent a peach pie and an apple pie, just in case someone doesn’t like blueberry.”

Everyone heaped their plates full. It was a little like Thanksgiving, only what they gave thanks for when they bowed their heads was a boy who was protected by angels and brought safely home to be with his family.

Laney felt oddly detached from this group of family and friends, almost as if she was watching the event from a skybox or a distant star. Yes, she was happy and yes, she was thankful, relieved, ecstatic, and every other jubilant emotion she could think of, but she was also having a difficult time believing he was really here, that she could reach out and touch him and hold him. She was especially certain something else was going to happen. Ella told her she needed to pray about those feelings. It could be the Holy Spirit and a gift of discernment. Not that she understood how discernment worked. She’d have to look it up.

Not wanting to give the impression she was down, she shook off the negative feelings she was harboring and loaded up her plate like everyone else. More than once she had to remind Matt to not talk with his mouth full. He was enjoying the attention. She was certain he was going to milk this for all it was worth.

Sheila and Jessi cut the pies while Laney and Ella cleared the table. After everyone had eaten their fill and left, Laney sat on the couch with her three children and hugged them close. “Do you guys know that you are the most important people in my whole world?”

They all three cuddled into her. Melanie sat on her lap; Joy was on one side and Matt on the other. All three muttered their yes’ and yawned. She turned on Peter Pan and sat and watched it by herself while all three kids slept peacefully next to their mother who wouldn’t want any other life. She was content.

             
             
             
Chapter Thirty-Eight

Laney looked at her Bible, wondering where to start. “God, can you help me? I don’t know where to begin.”

She looked at the list of verses Jessi had given her, ones that had helped Jessi when she had needed them the most.

She muttered, “I guess I’ll start at the beginning.” She opened her Bible to Genesis and read about God creating Adam and then Eve from one of Adam’s ribs and about the man and wife becoming one flesh. “Interesting.”

Next she turned to Proverbs. There were a lot of verses listed from that book. She began with Proverbs 12:4. "A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones."
Am I disgraceful, Lord?

Then she read Proverbs 18:22: "He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord," and Proverbs 20:6-7: "Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find? The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him."

Laney continued digging in through verses trying to make sense of her and Paul’s relationship. She read about the perfect woman in Proverbs 31 and felt like a failure all over again. “God, did you include that chapter just for me? To make me see what a failure I am?”

Then she read something in Deuteronomy that caught her attention. She found these words in Chapter 24 verse 5: "If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married."

A husband should make his wife happy? She knew of marriages that worked that way, like Austin and Sheila’s, but her mother’s and her own were not based on making one another happy. With their husbands, it was about control.

She continued reading in Corinthians about her body not being her own, but her husband’s. She started weeping when she read that a woman must not separate from her husband and if she does, she cannot remarry, she must reconcile. “God, why? Is this what you really want? You want him to hurt me?” At least now she understood why her parents believed the way they did.

She kept reading. She’d knelt down and promised God she would do his will, no matter what he asked of her. After everything he did for her, she knew it was the least she could offer, her obedience. Her heart wouldn’t be in it though if he asked her to go back to her husband.

Laney quickly turned back to Corinthians and found the verse that talked about a woman separating from her husband. What did that say? She read it to herself, out loud. "To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife."

Laney picked up the telephone and dialed Jessi’s number. “Jessi, it’s me, Laney. I just read something in Corinthians and I want your take on it.” She read the verses to Jessi. “Is this saying that there are some situations that a woman can leave her husband for? Like physical abuse?”

“Laney, yes, absolutely. God loves you. You are precious to him. It breaks his heart when you are hurting. God also gave each of us instructions that we are not to cause any man to sin. Every time Paul would hit you, he would sin. You staying in that house was encouraging him to sin. Not only did you leaving protect you, but also has caused him to stop sinning against you. Did you read the verses in Malachi yet? In Chapter 2 verses 13 through 16?”

“No, not yet.”

“Here, let me read them for you: "Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer pays attention to your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. You ask, 'Why?' It is because the Lord is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. 'I hate divorce,' says the Lord God of Israel, 'and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence as well as with his garment,' says the Lord Almighty."

"So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith." Jessi continued on excitedly, “Laney, God sees your brokenness. He does not want you hurting. In these verses he is chastising the husband for how he treats his wife.”

The love and thankfulness Laney felt for her creator was overwhelming. Her mother was wrong. All those people at her church were wrong. God didn’t want her living in pain and in fear. God wanted the very best for her. He wanted her husband to love her like Christ loved the church and died for her. Her knees were shaking, and her voice faltered. “Thank you, Jessi. You have no idea how much this means to me. I was so scared that God wanted me to go back to Paul; that I was supposed to endure his hateful ways. I told God I would do whatever he asked, but truthfully, I’d rather die than go back.”

Laney hung up the phone and sunk down to her knees. “Thank you, Lord. Thank you for showing me your truth. Help me to pray for Paul. Help me to love him because you love him. And thank you for teaching me I can love him from a distance.”

She rose, feeling lighter than she had in weeks. Everything was going to be okay. There might be more pain coming, more hardships, but she was going to be all right. In fact, she was going to be better than all right. God had a plan and she was in it. Not sitting on the sideline, not a cheerleader for Paul, but something God had planned just for her. She was excited.

It had been too long since the kids had seen her joyful. She called them together. “Everyone, it’s a beautiful day outside.” She looked at the sun shining brightly overhead. “Get your light jackets on. We’re going to the park and then out for pizza.”

The kids grabbed their jackets and ran for the van. Laney stood there, watching them. It was so easy for them to overcome. They could be sad one minute and happy the next. Their faith was so innocent.
Is this what God wants from me? To become like a child?
She took off running for the van. “Last one buckled is a rotten egg!”

             
             
             
Chapter Thirty-Nine

Paul walked the store, looking for something for Matt. He had already lied and told him it was being mailed, but he could cover that and say he got the address wrong. No biggie. He looked at trucks and guns and action figures. His mom had gotten him a football. Maybe he’d go all out on the kid and get him an autographed Bear’s helmet. He’d flip.

He left the discount store and headed to the specialty sports store. All the signed helmets were behind the display case. Sheesh. Did he really want to spend that much money? No, he did not.