A Response to Linda

Linda, a friend from these blogs, responded to the post below and got me to thinking even more about the subject. I responded to her response but I want to share my thoughts here too.

Our church talks very little about sin. We are mostly an affirming bunch. We talk about using our giftedness and finding and encouraging others's giftedness.

Once I guest ministered at a congregation that had many hard living people that had been converted to Christianity in a jail Bible Study ministry. They worried a lot about sin. It held some back from using their gifts. I had a different sermon prepared altogether but decided instead to speak about God's marvelous grace.

I've never drank or smoked or frequented bars or clubs but I have done some other things over my life that I never want to do again. I used that experience when I expressed my thoughts. When I decided to change my life, I put all those things behind me. God worked with me to help me to do that. I shared that feeling. I never think about my past sin (if that's what it was), I put that behind me for once and for all. But God forgave me all that. I am assured of that.

I was a hard mother to live with. I tried to do too much and rear three children nearly alone at the same time. I took a paddle to my children if they misbehaved. I wanted to be able to take them anywhere and have them behave well. They did. I intimidated them.

I also took them to every Walt Disney movie that came along. I bought a Sana Pool season ticket every summer and every afternoon, I took them swimming. On Saturday mornings I took them to the donut shop and after that a friend who also had three young children and I took all six of them horseback riding. We hiked (we only had one car and Bob had that) and picked up pop bottles and then sold them for money to buy an ice cream cone. I'll bet the people of our neighborhood thought I was crazy with a child on a small bike, one on a trike and one in a wagon picking up pop bottles. But we did have fun together.

Later Bob got his priorities in order and we bought a small pop up camper and every other weekend we went camping all over northeastern Oklahoma. My cousin gave us a 16 foot sloop and we sailed everywhere on all the marvelous lakes in Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. I was strict and I tried to be fair. However, I was just too harsh to those kids. I was nearly suicidal much of the time in those years. I was beside myself with two boys with asthma and projectile vomiting. If one wasn't sick the other one was. Luckily our girl was pretty well. At least she didn't have asthma.

Know how I know I was forgiven? Now all three kids are grown and they never remember the harshness. They only remember all the fun times we had.

I had wonderful freedom with that message that I seldom have and I think it was because that was the message those folks needed to hear. I was amazed that they seemed to be glued to what I was saying.

Afterward dozens came up and thanked me. It must have struck a chord. Here's the thing. People who are converted from hard living or problem living are the perfect ones to minister to those who are hard living or have a tough time with life's challenges. There is no judgment..only caring love. It is best to be a wounded healer.