So, I was reading a devotional this morning and it really, really, really bothered me.
The author was relating an instance where one of her children had gotten into trouble at school and it threw her into a whirlwind of feeling like a "bad Christian parent." Now, she was being honest with her circumstance and trying to help others, that's not what bothered me; it bothered me that she had to spend one ounce of her time and effort trying to combat that feeling.
I mean, are there "bad Christians" and "good Christians?"
If there are, where can I find that measuring stick to find out who is who? At what point do my struggles put me into "bad Christian" territory and which struggles are holy enough to avoid the label?
No, no, no...the very idea of that is ridiculous.
We are Christians because we follow Christ. Period. I will struggle, you will struggle, every person will struggle - but that is because we are human, it has no bearing on our Christianity. Our Christianity comes into play in HOW WE DEAL with the struggles.
It is a waste of my time and effort to feel guilty for being human. It does not matter what a terrific parent you are, your child will make some bad choices. It does not matter what a great spouse you are, you and your partner will not always see eye to eye. It doesn't matter how hard you work, sometimes money will be in short supply...etc, etc, etc.
WHEN these things come up, what do you do?
The answer to THAT question determines where you are in your Christian walk.
So, dear author of that devotional, please take the effort you are using to wonder where your Christianity is failing and put it toward helping your child deal with this situation. Discipline him, love him, teach him, move forward.
That's what Christians do.
No comments:
Post a Comment