Where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. (Heb. 3:9)
He was just twenty-one-years old and had already been in jail six times. The young man seemed never to learn his lesson and often crossed boundaries he should not cross. From dealing and using drugs to drinking and stealing from his own parents, he had quite the dossier.
At first offense, his parents rushed to the county jail to bail him out. They took him home to sober up and then talked to him, hoping that they could instill some sense into his head. Nonetheless, as the young man kept breaking the law, frustration began to set in and his parents spoke as if they had completely lost hope of his ever becoming a good citizen.
I was there when his parents were mourning his younger brother, who died of brain cancer. They were deeply devastated, and in a rush of anger, they asked God why he had allowed their “good son” to die and kept alive the one who never listened to them and always brought grief into their home. What a sad thing for a parent to say, right?
Sin saddens the Holy Spirit. If we consistently choose sin instead of holiness, we will be like that son who consistently inflicted pain upon his family. God wants to work in us and to bless us, but it is up to us to open our hearts to him.
Rebellion hardens hearts. Ask God to help soften yours.
Luska Natali is a native of Brazil who is passionate about God, her family, learning new languages (she fluently speaks three), and meeting people.
© 2019 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
