Waking up to the shrill of an alarm, never would Connie imagine that by the time the alarm was reset, her life would be turned upside down. Like any Monday, the morning would be bustling with the promise of a busy week ahead. By the time she had a moment to sit down and relax, her cell phone would ring. “Hello?” “Mom, this is Tommy.” “Hi son, how was your weekend? We missed you last night.” “Yeah, about that.” The long silence was followed by words she would never forget. “Mom, I am in jail.” Sitting down, she couldn’t think. “Mom, I only have a minute, but I want you to know I was helping a friend.” Hearing the sound of her voice over her screaming thoughts, she asked, “What happened?” “Mom, I can’t really go into it over the phone, I wanted you to know that you can come see me in a couple of days and we can talk. Mom, I love you but I have to go.” As she placed the phone in the cradle, her screaming thoughts would overwhelm her to tears. Pushing away the consuming fear, she picked up the phone to call her husband. “Honey, I’m coming home.” About a mile into her drive she began to pray. "Father, my son….” The sobs overtook her body. “Why God, why? I’ve been praying for you to remove him from this lifestyle for years. What happens now? In the next 3 years he won’t be able to graduate college, get married, have children. God, how could you let this happen?” Sitting at a red light, she hears a still small voice. “Connie, you must consider his eternity.“ Peace surrounding her like a warm blanket she would pray, “Oh Father.” Always a gentleman, He would never get mad when she cried out, but would reach His arms around to comfort her as she grieved. God was in control and she just needed to trust. “Well, I guess this is an answer to prayer. Not exactly how I imagined it”, she would mutter quietly. Three months passed quickly. Watching her baby boy leave the court room in zip ties would undo this mother’s heart. Why? Where did she go wrong? The comfort and strength surrounding her from friends and family would be a Father’s answer to a broken heart. “Connie, you cannot control your son’s actions. He is an adult, you must allow him to experience the consequence of his choices.” Moments of grief and guilt would follow the march of time; but her Father would always come alongside and comfort, pouring grace and strength into a broken heart. Gentle reminders of the sacrifice of a Savior’s Love on The Cross would serve to humbly remind that Tommy wasn’t the first to suffer nor would he be the last. She knew that for her son’s life to change, there had to be life change, heart change. Recalling a conversation in the kitchen where her son said, “Mom, there is no God.” She knew that life change had to be drastic, she would have to trust. Writing through an empathetic heart, Connie would realize that the closer she came to her Father, the more she began to see through His Eyes and love with His Heart. She would recognize the enemy’s lure to this young generation as her eyes were opened to so much pain. “Father, how many others find themselves facing similar consequences? How can I help others see Your Perfect Love?” “Take up your Cross and follow me.” He would gently remind. Two years after that fateful day in February, Connie found herself enjoying a beautiful moment of reflection. It became clear to her as she pondered the story of The Prodigal Son, that in her own son's journey, God’s Story was being written. Empathizing with the agony of the waiting father, she would recognize that all along, Tommy’s Heavenly Father was waiting with open arms for him to come home. Connie reflected that her Father knew Tommy before she ever did and had a purpose designed just for him. She recognized the healing of her anxious heart with His Peace as promised in Philippians 4:6-7. She knew that Tommy was going to be okay. He was in The Father’s Perfect Hand.