Last week I mentioned that
one of the most moving memories of my trip to Israel was our visit to Kfar Aza
kibbutz. Kfar Aza is a neighborhood of
about 700 people just a few miles east of the Gaza strip. The residents live
under the constant anxiety of bomb shells being lobbed in from Gaza. When the public address system intones “Code
Red, Code Red,” they have 12-15 seconds to find shelter. Unsurprisingly it’s the younger residents who
feel most helpless and angry.
The mother who spoke with us said, “It’s just very hard to raise a 13-year old son. It’s even harder to raise a 13-year old son without a heart full of hate.”
Most of us aren’t living
in situations that dire, but we parents often face similar challenges with our
kids. It may be guiding them through the horrific news of bombs in Boston or
kidnapping in Cleveland. It may be helping them survive the taunts of their
peers, the fickleness of their friends, or the hurts of a broken heart.
God bless you moms
especially, those of you who know that faith in a loving God is so critical in
challenges like this. God knows and loves your child, and nothing the world
does or says has the ultimate power to define them. They are defined only by
their infinite worth as God’s children.
God has set in their
hearts a life purpose to be discovered and gifts to be utilized. God helps us
not to automatically return evil for evil; Jesus can free us from the cycle of
violence and help us to forgive. The Body of Christ at its best shapes us as a
loving community of grace, and teaches us how to show grace in a frightening
world.
Mother’s Day has its roots
in Julia Ward Howe’s attempt to establish a “Mother’s Day for Peace” in the years
following the Civil War. It took hold in
the U.S. in the years leading up to World War I. At the heart of Mother’s Day is the simple
passion for peace.
I want to bless all of you
mothers who work day by day for peace at home, peace at work, peace at school,
and peace in the hearts of your children. There’s no task more important than
raising children with hearts that can love.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Pastor Larry
No comments:
Post a Comment