678live’s Blog

When I was a 7th grader growing up, I had a friend who started to influence me to do things that were leading me down a road that wasn’t a good direction to go.  He started smoking and wanted me to do it, but I had such a weak stomach so that when I tried it the first time I got so sick I never wanted to try it again.  Then we started doing some vandalism together.  I once broke close to 15 windows in a house that was being built.  Funny thing about that, we broke every window very loudly and did nothing to hide what we did.  You know how we got caught?  The last window we broke was a small window on the side of the house that had a neighbor living next to it.  We got caught breaking the smallest, most insignificant window in the whole house.  And did I ever get in trouble!  I was grounded for a long time.  My fanny hurt for a long time.  I lost my parents trust for a long time.  I didn’t like how my life was going for a long time.  My parents ended up not letting me hang out with my friend anymore.  I didn’t like it at the time, but it was the best thing they could have done for me.  Just a short time later, my friend was a heavy drug user and I’m sure I would have been right alongside him if something didn’t change.

Do you pray that when your kids sin, they get caught right away?  I’m so glad I got caught.  My life direction changed because I got caught.  I don’t know if my parents ever prayed that I would get caught, but I know I pray that for my daughters.  I want to be part of helping them work out their faith amidst their failures.  If not my wife and I, who will?

Will their friends always point them to God’s way of living?  Not likely since they are usually young and struggling to find their way at the same time.  Will their teachers and coaches do it?  Not everyone goes to a Christian school or has believers in those influential positions.  But we as parents are called to be there for them.  We are called to point them the right way, discipling them into a lifetime of faith.  We can pick them up and love them enough to say the hard things.  We can forgive them and take the time to rebuild trust so they know we will always be there.  Pray they get caught…then step up and be the parent they need when they need you most!

Pastor Mark