Grace

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Phillipians 4:8

Last night we dropped the ball.  We were hanging out with good friends over a lovely dinner.  The kids had already eaten, our DVD player wasn't working, and so we sent them off to another's house to watch their movie.  I glanced at the movie, thought briefly about checking the rating, and then dismissed the idea.  It looked okay from the outside.  William picked it up too, said it was okay, and off they went.

We called them home, and they came in the door with stricken faces.  The movie had been scary, not good at all, not appropriate.  My heart sunk.  Then I got angry.  It wasn't pretty.  Parenting mistakes are heart-wrenching sometimes, especially when the blame lies squarely on my shoulders, the consequences heavy.  Wm read the Bible to them, prayed, and we tucked them in with kisses and regretful hearts.  We were mad at each other, mad at ourselves.  We didn't kiss each other good night.  

It is because of the Lord's mercy and loving-kindness

 that we are not consumed, because His tender compassions

 fail not.

    They are new every morning;

 great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.

    The Lord is my portion or share, says my living being; therefore will

  I hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him.

Lamentations 3:22-24

I drifted into a restless sleep.  The Lord woke me up with pursue love, pursue peace, I am the Redeemer.  It is a new day. 

We were at peace.  Christian woke up with a joyful smile and said, isn't it amazing, I didn't have one bad dream all night.  God says, "My word that goes out from my mouth, it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire."  Christian, God's word trumps fear...always.  He redeems our bad decisions, our imperfect ways.  

Thank you, Lord, for your overflowing grace this morning.

Part II

We’ve been going through the Sermon on the Mount in Sunday School.   Our teacher is an OT professor at Wheaton College, and it’s an amazing privilege to sit under him every week.  Some questions for today:  Do I live an uninspired life, doing the right things in an almost legalistic way, taking a defensive sort of stance in our world?  Wow, I never think of my life as uninspired, so no to that one.  Defensive stance?  Yes, I do that sometimes.  Do I insulate myself from “bad people” and live an inward existence that focuses on family and those I love the most?   Yes, I do.  I love to be insulated and comfortable.  It’s so...cozy.

OR

Am I actively engaged in kingdom work?  Am I doing what Jesus is asking of me?  Namely, to see the world as He sees it.  Then move out and do something about it.  Do we see the world as broken?  Are we as believers doing something about it?   Do we love the unlovable?  Do we serve those who don’t deserve it?  Do we tell others about the Gospel because we love them?  Jesus did.  

Which brings me back to last night.  We talked to our kids about protecting our eyes and ears from evil.  But what happens when they’ve been exposed to something?  Thankfully the discussion moves beyond “You’d better not watch that stuff anymore” to “How can God use this experience to further His kingdom?”  

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Pursuing righteousness will bring persecution.  But the persecution does not come from judging others’ choices or being a tattle-tale or being self-righteous.  It does come from living out a relationship with God and not being silent about that relationship.   My boys will have plenty of opportunities to pursue righteousness, and I pray that during those opportunities their thoughts will be intertwined with God’s thoughts of, how can this opportunity be used to do something about this broken world?   It’s not only keeping oneself set apart; it’s about engaging the world for Jesus.  Maybe that looks like extending grace to a friend or choosing to return blessing for insult.   Lots of times it’s just walking away from sin.   In the not-so-intertwined moments, our boys can rejoice that despite sin, mistakes, our bad parenting, whatever, God can use any experience to further His kingdom, and for that we should be rejoice! 

As I write this, I realize I so often fall short of my own prayers for my kids.  Nothing good flows through us apart from Jesus.  It is overwhelming to carry the responsibility of our life’s purpose alone.  I am grateful we walk with One who bears our burdens, removes our sin, the One who brings us help and strength and peace and gives us everything we need to accomplish His plan each day.   We walk in His power alone. 

Thank you, Lord, for Your light in the dark places of this world.