Every night before bed Julia and I have been doing a Lent devotional. Last night we read the story of the prodigal son. It was interesting to hear her viewpoint as a child and my own viewpoint as a mother. It enlightened me how I have changed...once like her I had the childlike viewpoint from the side of the son, now as a parent I can relate to the father greeting his prodigal son. Compassion and forgiveness are powerful qualities to share. It is easy to share them with your own family but not always easy with others. My mother's church has an online website and last night I came across their site in search of blogs for her. They had their purpose and vision statement and then they listed the bible verse 1 Timothy 4:12: Let no one have contempt for your youth, but set an example for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.
It stuck out at me as I realized that was what Julia and I were discussing in our Lent readings. Setting an example of love and compassion. She mentioned how she enjoyed certain people's company but did not always like the choices they made. I reminded her we are to love the sinner but avoid the sin. Love does not mean looking the other way or pretending you don't see the sin, it is a firm but loving stand against wrong while embracing and praying for the broken spirit. We had a great moment last night in our talk about duties towards others...
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