That’ll Teach Him!
Reflective Reading: Luke 11:9-13
I’ll never forget the time when I was searching for a house to rent for my youngest son David who had just transferred to a college in the Nashville area. He was working two jobs, was in school full time, and was sleeping on the floor while he lived with five other guys. My initial thought was that this would be a good lesson for him. I felt he was making some bad decisions and not listening to my counsel, so I sat back and offered as little help as possible. That is, until my wife talked some sense into me.
She asked me what I was thinking and then said something that I will never forget. She looked at me, and said, “If there was ever a time that your son needed your help, not your abandonment, it is now. Why don’t you try treating him like the Lord treats you?” I was humbled and awakened. What was I thinking!? I immediately booked a flight to Nashville and started my quest to find appropriate housing for my son. You should have seen his face. He was so surprised and thankful. Once again, God was working behind the scenes to help me understand grace and love.
In Psalm 103 David writes,
“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love . . . He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.”
If we want our children to follow the Lord, then we need to show them what He’s like.
Sincerely,
Mark Hamby
M.S., M. Div., Th. M., D. Min.
Recommended Reading:
Parable of Two Millstones (All Ages)
Bishop’s Shadow (Ages 9+)
Overtaken: The Wild Lad of London (Ages 12+)
