Remember not the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you are good, O LORD. -Psalms 25:7
Samantha was sitting in the back seat riding home from church, and she was in trouble. This time it was because she took lip gloss and smeared it in a teenage girl’s hair “just to see”. We had taken a visitor to church-one of my students-and of course I wanted everything to go well. Church was fine; it was my daughter’s behavior that was the problem. The girl forgave Sam easily enough, but it grated on me severely. Why does she do such things? That was the question I asked her in the car. “What is it with you?”
“I don’t know,” she said, “but when I’m eight, all this will be behind me“.
Just when I shouldn’t laugh as a parent, I do. How could I not see myself in such a clear assertion of confidence? We all, in our own way, are waiting for the time that this-whatever “this” is-will all be behind us.
I can’t wait to develop patience.
I want to swear when I can’t control my tongue.
I am still attempting to find discipline I don’t have to work at.
I don’t have time to pray about all the bad things I do when I’m not busy.
I follow a budget perfectly until I’m out of money.
When it comes to sin, I think I must still be young. But someday, when I am old and 40, all this will be behind me. After all, Sam turns eight in less than two weeks. If she can work on such a short timetable, so can I.
Of course, we all would be better off if we would let God reign, because He has promised to put everything behind us. It’s just so hard for me to take Him at His Word. Must come with maturity…
Agape-or at least the best I can do,
Chris
