Walk free, hurting parent (you’re forgiven)

For the burdened parent today, a word to help you “swing free,” like a child. To know peace. To walk in His love instead of shame…

I woke up, and there it was. A few words from a mother who said, “Thank you for listening to His voice. We’ve got a runner, too.”

In the darkness, I’m wakin’ up, thinkin’ of runners and parents and of all the Hard that goes with it. Once, when we were sittin’ down across from our pastor, he said somethin’ we never quite forget. Which was this, “It (having a prodigal) will hit on every insecurity you’ve got.”

Boys, howdy, and if that ain’t the whole stinkin’ truth. Amen.

Anyway, I felt Lord Christ just tap me, and I knew that I needed to tell you this before I get to flamin’ on my work for the day. Here’s what someone who’s readin’ needs to know..

In our long, twistin’, windin’, heart-breakin’, soul-exhaustin’, nighttime-cryin’ journey with a runner, the Lord sure did uncover a heap of our mistakes. Failings. Flat-out sins (I’ll just say it), for which we needed repentin’. And we did that.

It’s a fact; just plain true that what we do as parents affects our kids. A lot. I’ve said in the past, and I’ll say it again. “Two sinners get married and make some more.” And that’s how it really is.

Anyway. Speakin’ for us here, we figured out that we’d really hurt him (and his brothers), and it near to ’bout killed us to realize that. But in the beautiful way that redemption works, we confessed it to Him, then we confessed it to them (the Schrocklets Four), and we now look to Him for the mendin’. For the healin’.

If you’re being stubborn, refusin’ to see or admit or confess or acknowledge that you have a hand in this deal, then you, my friend, are a hindrance. You ought to cry out, ask Him to tell you exactly what your sin is, and then humble yourself and admit it. Ask forgiveness.

See, there’s something about owning your sin and asking their forgiveness that breaks some kind of a chain. If you are a true-hearted soul (and I believe that you are), you sincerely want to give your child all the help that you can give, every advantage you’ve got, and confession and repentance will do that.

(That part, I threw in for free.)

But anyway, the thing Jesus was wantin’ me to tell you is what comes after your repentin’ and humbling. Yes, you have failed at points. But not in everything. There comes a time when your child makes his or her own choices. And must own them.

Just like you. Just like me. We do have the power of choice.

So for the parent who is mired in self-blame and the misery of condemnation and regret, it’s time. It’s time for you to accept God’s forgiveness of you. It’s time for you to take yourself off of that hook (God’s not got you there), to release yourself from the guilt.

Your child is making his or her own choices. That is his or her responsibility, and here is where you can pray for God to keep His promise to “work within us, both to will and to do of His good pleasure.”

Jesus came, after all, to redeem. To “buy back.” And He can do that with your worst mistakes…

And with theirs.

So please. Walk in peace today, knowing that you’re forgiven, and stop listening to the horrid voice of blame.

That’s all for now. I’ve got a stack of reports to type and a blue-eyed boy with a double crown who’s waitin’ for me at the school. Until later…

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