Proverbs 23:24
The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in him.
Being in the ministry for many years, it's extremely heartbreaking to witness the spiraling demise of individuals as they grow up. Part of the fact of staying through the years of ministry, is the inevitable opportunity to witness a child growing up. Looking at the young, cute Ranger kids of today, you can never imagine that someday that child may grow up the splitting opposite of your expectations.
I really dislike these moments of reality when I find out that so-and-so is now a swearing, vice-addicted most unchristian youth or young adult. Some part of me curls up in pain and I spend a good many days preventing my heart from hardening and me being crippled with disappointment.
The thought process which goes through my mind now is what could have gone wrong and what was not done sufficiently for this life to achieve this sorry end result. At certain moments, I lose hope that the life can be redeemed because I have other examples who are still lost in the world, in-spite of prayers being made for their lives.
As I walked to take the bus to work, the parable of the sower and the type of soils came to mind (Matthew 13) and I decided to look up the passage. The reality is, some individuals are like the rocky places where the soil is shallow. That got me thinking of why some soil are shallow and what can be done to ensure that the soil of many christian lives to be good and fertile. As I read Matthew 13:21, I realised that the cause was due to the lack of root. No root! That means nothing was done or understood by the individual when the word of God was shared despite being found in church. How can you help someone with no root?
The amplified bible version of Psalms 1:2 states the truth that successful Christians are those who delights in the laws of God and habitually studies and ponders the instructions/teachings of God. But what can I do to force someone to grow roots back?
As I sit at work helpless in the situation, I can only hope the best can come out of these currently corrupt lives. But I know that I got to encourage myself in God. Therefore, I boldly state with a tiny seed of faith; my God is a God which will prevail in these lives and my God mercifully saves, even when the soil is not good.
M.
Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place. (Psalms 28:2)
