In Daddy's Eyes
From Shadows and Secrets into the Light of Forgiveness
by
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Chapter 3
HIDDEN MYSTERIES REVEALED
"Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known."1 Cor 10:26
"But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."1 Cor 4:1-5
This life can be filled with many hidden mysteries. . .some elicit casual curiosity and others are complex and covered in dark places. One reality I know is those mysteries that so often bring harm and pain are revealed not to bring further pain or death but to restore lives to wholeness. How we respond to hidden things that are revealed will depend on how free we are from fear and how close God's peace and presence is to our heart.
Truth hidden for years eventually surfaces and is brought to light. We do not know how much time is needed for truth to surface. . .but it will surface! Truth will only stay quiet for just so long! The truth that is held in hiding places of the heart will surface in some way when it is time. Like a bubble of air one tries to keep under the water but will always eventually surface and burst out into the atmosphere and light where it belongs, truth always belongs in the light. The way truth surfaces is as varied and limitless as the number of human beings on this earth and the stars in the heavens. My story is just one way the mysteries were to be unraveled.
The first step I took in this mystery was to get reacquainted with God's Word. My heart was ready to recall those young years at Sunday School and how the truths of the Bible gave me the comfort, hope, and peace I forgot along the way to growing up. I became a spiritual sponge. The attitude of my heart quickly changed as I was being transformed into this new person. My adventure started with facing myself and God with honesty. No more masks. No more games and excuses. I had to accept that my love, good intentions and good works were filled with presumption, self-sufficiency, and pride. My fear kept me from living a life filled with contentment and purpose. These walls of self-protection had to come down. I was learning to trust and risk. Even Job, in ancient history, had his walls of protection. . .his pride of past accomplishments (Job 29), his self-fulfilling fear (Job 3:25-26), and his overwhelming despair and sense of abandonment (Job 7:19-21). However, all his loss and pain in his heart and body were overshadowed by his indisputable statement of faith. "Oh, that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book! That they were engraved on a rock With an iron pen and lead, forever! For I know that My Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh (body) I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" Job 19:23-27 (ampl) Although all was seemingly lost at the time, Job knew he would be restored and be with the God who brought him through. It is truly a mystery, as Job's life taught us thousands of years ago. Although mankind would never dare arouse a fearless beast or creature but would dare to resist and strive against God, his Creator (Job 41:9-11; Rom 9:16-20). What a paradox we are! To strive against God is to destroy ourselves; to not cooperate and be accountable with God's healing plan is the way of a fool. "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe." Prov 18:10 Recognizing these self-imposed walls was humbling to say the least. My initiation in humility and honesty became a training ground in obedience. The journey ahead toward physical healing was not easily chosen nor really even asked for. If I had known at the time what the next fifteen years would entail in regaining my health, I would have never started on the journey in the first place. However, since my life was His, where was I to run anyway? "From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, 'Do you also want to go away?'. Then Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also, we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'" John 6:66-69 Over the next ten years, I was being taught to be an over comer–to face everything counter to His Word that came my way–to go on the offensive with His Word and the knowledge He sent my way. I am reminded many times. He is the Creator and knows how His creation should function and how His precepts and divine laws operate in our lives at every level--spirit, soul, body. I was taught to be accountable for every decision I made. His gentleness and care never forced me to face something I wasn't prepared to win. He orchestrated and perfected strategies for winning battles tailored just for me.
During the first decade, I was directed to certain resources, physicians, labs, and ministries to help unravel this mystery. I learned how to interview doctors and other health professionals. I also started to keep my own medical records. It was like peeling an onion, layer by layer till there were no more layers left. I was diagnosed with a variety of infirmities and disorders along the way. I basically become allergic to the world I lived in. It was like accumulating a grocery list of unpalatable products of society. I was also moving in a downward spiral of deterioration.
But for the first time, I knew what to do. I learned discernment in a whole new light. I found the facts as presented to me are not always the truth as God would see it. I believe God wants us to identify what is attacking us and know the root in order to fully participate in His deliverance. However, God has infinite and creative ways to fulfill His Word. He wants us to think intelligently and test whether truth or error is present. He gave me a divine perspective. Although what comes at us in life may try to destroy us, God intervenes with another plan and brings wholeness for ourselves as well as many others (Gen. 45:7-8; 50:20). Learning to hear God's voice through His Word and taking specific steps I knew were from Him, the disorders and wasting process continued to subside; and my weight stabilized at 138. During the 1980s my weight went from 170 to 114 pounds, then moved back up to 138, and stabilized. The fear that used to be my companion was replaced wi
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About the Book
In Daddy’s Eyes tells the story of one woman’s journey back to physical health and healing of the heart. Sharon’s journey will take the reader through childhood abuse with its shadows and secrets, family tragedies, a cascading list of infirmities, and the meandering maze of conventional and alternative medicine in search for answers to her medical mysteries. The reader will be challenged to look at life’s horizon with a broader stroke. . .one life forever changed by her faith in God, the impact of family on her physical, emotional, and spiritual well being, and the healing miracle of forgiveness. In Daddy’s Eyes is not only a journey of discovery and transformation, but of insight and wisdom only learned through the "fire of life." Sharon’s odyssey will touch every heart with her honest reflections of family, life challenges, and endearing trust in God.
Hear what others have said about In Daddy’s Eyes–
Dale Evans Rogers, "Sharon, your book is amazing!. . .God bless your life."
A. Lee Guinn, M.D., "As a clearinghouse of health information and a lightning rod of spiritual access, Sharon inspires not only her closest friends but also the health professionals that have worked with her and her increasingly enlarging following. Her truth cannot be defined with words, only by her living. Her truth is the supreme delight of the human soul."
Linda Terrell Goodridge, ". . .Your captivating odyssey through adversity mesmerized me. Between laughing and crying, I couldn’t put your book down. I was honored to walk with you as each page took me into your very own reality. Your faith inspired and comforted me. Your poems delighted my heart. The medical information you provided has been invaluable to me. Many of us will see ourselves in what you went through on your journey to wholeness. Thank you for your tenderhearted glimpse at family and the power of forgiveness. In Daddy’s Eyes will be one of my most favorite books I will refer back to throughout the years."
About the Author
Sharon Benedict was born in 1944 and raised near Los Angeles, in North Hollywood, California. Sharon's educational background includes B.A. and M.S. degrees in art (emphasis--crafts and sculpture) with minors in business education and industrial arts education. For fifteen years she produced fiber sculptures, weavings, and jewelry on commission, and was also given the opportunity to combine her art and business skills as Program Manager of the University of California, Davis Craft Center for five years. Sharon and her family then moved to South Texas in January 1977. As life always has its twists and turns, she entered an entirely new field of vocation. Today, Sharon is a life skills consultant, belief therapy counselor, and writer. Her life skills service, Home & Harvest, gives counsel and practical guidance for clients traveling their own journey of discovery and transformation. Sharon offers guidance and referrals for a variety of life skill issues, such as family focus, time management, money management, record keeping, family health care, meals, recreation/entertainment. Her longing and prayer are that the experiences of her life become "a door of hope" for others. In addition, Sharon’s greatest joy is to see lives and families restored, and that each of us will walk in the integrity and purpose for which we were designed.