Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Parents and Children and Saints

You never stop being a parent, do you? No matter how old or young your kids are, they are still your kids. It is scary how much we affect their lives even when they are adults. I still hear echos of my mom's voice and she's been gone nine years. My dad died 28 years ago and I find his 'voice' is mostly silent. Except that now I'm in his profession of pastoral ministry, I think of him often with great understanding. My grown-up 'kids' still need me from time to time. It is a on-going cycle and a good one most of the time. When it goes 'wrong' and the relationship ruptures, then the patient side gets the 'saint' label and the other side might be called the sinner. And yet we move between those sides depending on perspective and circumstance. Saints, sinners, parents, children, a jumbled soup of relationship.

If we feel so strongly about our kids and our parents, how must the Almighty God feel about all God's children? I know that as I think of the people on our prayer list, God is loving each one.  Whether sick or angry, lashing out, or feeling abused, God can touch each on and never, ever stops loving.

Thanks be to God.

1 comment:

Terri said...

I've met some really awful people, people who treat others in the worst of ways...and even still I think, God loves them too. I may not be able to always love them, but I trust that somehow God does...I do wish that God's love would tender their hearts and wake up their insight...sigh