The Father He Never Knew He Needed

By Sandra Louise Lott

 

John Marshall was only nine years old when both of his parents were killed in an automobile accident. He moved from foster home to foster home until he ran away at the age of twelve and has been homeless ever since.

He felt alone and hopeless, as if this was the life that was meant to be and then the even

• Language: English
• Publisher: Your New Life Ministries LLC
• Release date: Feb 29, 2024
• ISBN: 9798869193599

Sandra Louise Lott

Sandra Lott was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, with one sister and two brothers. Sandra loves the mountains, making candles, and jewelry. She is the author of Jeremy's Journey, Deep Waters Within, A Princess in Waiting, Ride the Wind, and more. She has also written children's such as, The Wind Has a Voice and How Did He Get in There, Molly's Journey to Forgiveness, and more. She has written over 35 books to date and began writing poetry as soon as she was saved in June 1998. The Lord gave her, her first book to write right after her son was killed. Writing was not something she sought out. She poured her heart into time spent with the Lord in order to allow Him to heal her heart and the name of her first book was birthed in her spirit along with the chapters and what it was to be about during a devotion time. It was called: God's Love; ironically enough, with all that she was going through, God's love was exactly what she needed. She is passionate about studying the Bible. She has taught Sunday school, and Bible Study Groups, and has been actively serving in her present church, served in the Celebrate Recovery Ministry, and Homeless Outreach. Sandra was also interviewed on radio shows such as Golden Life Living and WMAP Radio (World's Most Amazing People based out of New York), the Bill Martinez show and a Fox Radio show called the Kim Kennedy Show. She is a devoted mother of 2 sons (Tim & Gerald Ray), Gerald Ray the youngest, has gone on to be with the Lord due to a car accident. Through the death of her youngest son at the age of 16, a rocky marriage to an alcoholic and the abuse that came with that, and other overwhelming trials, she has drawn close to the loving arms of the Father. Experiencing God's unconditional love as He held her heart in His hands, has created a passion in her to help others grow in their understanding of and receive God's love and grow spiritually. She has the heart to help hurting women discover the princess in Christ that they truly are and overcome abuse. She teaches on topics to help you reach spiritual maturity, persevere through the hard times, and how to reach your destiny in Christ!

Book preview

Prologue

So many of us are faced with devastating life circumstances that in some, we did not cause.  They happen either by natural events, accidents, severe illness, or the effects of someone else’s free will.

You can dive into the abyss of negative emotions which takes you into a deep hole and is hard to get out of, not to mention, it will do nothing to help you move forward in life.   Or, you can reach out to God to help, comfort, heal, and restore you.

If the event was extremely traumatic, you may also need the help of a licensed counselor.

In this story, John Marshall was left without parents at the age of nine due to an accident; and on the streets, since he was twelve years old.  This can traumatize any young child and leave them with a distorted view of how life is and of his own self-worth.

So many people are left with a distorted view of themselves and the way the world should be.  Trauma, abandonment, neglect, abuse and so much more are the reasons behind it.

As in the story of John Marshall, God wants to reach out to every hurting person and heal their broken heart, wrong beliefs, and perceptions.

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. (Psalm 34:18)

Most people do not turn to Jesus until they hit their rock bottom.  They have spent all and have nowhere else to turn, this is sad.  Jesus should be the first one we turn to but it does not matter with Him.  All that matters is that we finally come and call on His name.

Other times there is a desperate need and this is the case with John.  God will place people on your path to plant seeds and lead you to Him.  You may not always recognize them as Jesus beckoning to you.  That will not stop Him, He is patient, The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness.  Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (II Peter 3:9)

The Lord is gentle and humble in heart and is very patient.  He will not force Himself on you but will be patient and continue to place people along your path to show Himself through to you until one day, your eyes are finally opened and you see Him as He is, your Lord and Savior full of love and compassion.

If you are going through a traumatic situation or know someone who is, why don’t you invite Jesus into it to help?  He is just a prayer away.

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.  But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.  All who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure. (I John 3:2-3)

1

Tragedy Strikes

John Marshall was a normal, happy child at the age of nine.  He was very active and had a good spirit about him, he always obeyed his parents and treated everyone kindly.  He lived in a suburban neighborhood in Savannah, Georgia.  John had a lot of friends and he and his Mom and Dad, Shari and Derrick Marshall always had a lot of fun during the summer months.

This summer would be like the rest, they were going to Tybee Island.  They loved the beach and John’s mother, Shari, could never get enough of it.

The school year was coming to a close and John was excited.  He never liked school very much and he and his parents were going on vacation to the beach a week after school ended.  This year would be different, they were going to stay at a nearby campground instead of a hotel.

******

One week left of school and all the kids were talking about their summer plans.

John, wait up! Charles Stevens, John’s friend yelled out.

Hey, what’s up? John asked.

"What did you get on old lady Johnson’s history test? Charles asked.

Oh, man!  I aced it!  I only missed two questions.  I love history.  What did you get? John replied.

I didn’t do quite as well as you did, I got an eighty.  But at least I passed, Charles stated.

Hey, what are you doing for the summer? John asked.

We are going to my grandparent's farm in South Carolina.  We are going to stay for two weeks.  What about you? Charles answered.

We are going camping near Tybee Beach.  My Dad and I are going to find a good fishing hole and go fishing together when we are not at the beach.  I can’t wait!  We are going for two weeks as well.  My grandparents are going to join us the first weekend we are there.  I don’t think they are going to stay long because both of them have been sick a lot over the past few months.  Their health has not been too great lately.  I am surprised they are going to join us; my grandpa just got out of the hospital last month, John replied.

Well, I am sorry about your grandparent's health, but it sounds like you are going to have a blast.  We need to meet up when we both get back and play some ball and maybe go to the park nearby, Charles stated.

Sounds like a plan.  Well, I have to get home.  Mom has some chores for me to do.  See you tomorrow!   John replied.

******

The rest of that week went by fast and John and his parents had a lot to do to prepare for their vacation and the day had finally arrived!  John was up and dressed early and had his bags packed by six in the morning!

His mother taught him to cook, so he decided to have breakfast made by the time his parents got up.  He did it to speed things up and get on the road earlier than expected.  He even started the coffee.

The smell of coffee brewing woke them up, just as John had hoped.  He thought of everything; he even cracked their bedroom door a little bit to make sure they smelled it.  Smart idea, he thought to himself.

His mother walked into the kitchen and saw John fixing breakfast and the coffee done, and smiled with surprise, Wow, I wish this would happen more often!  Great job, Hun! Shari said as she grabbed a cup.

John’s parents finished breakfast and got everything packed up then John’s dad went to get their travel trailer at the storage facility.  They were all packed and ready to go within a couple of hours.

John was ecstatic!  When are we going to meet up with grandma and grandpa?

After we get there and get set up.  They are coming a little bit later and will call me when they get to the entrance of the campground.  I already spoke to Dad and gave him directions, Derrick Marshall replied.

They had to stop and get fuel and a few more things from the store but they still made it to the campground in just over an hour.

They had a great campsite; it was very private and had a lot of room to sit around the grill area. 

John couldn’t