Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Pentecost Prayer Day 21

So many people are wanting to "get back to" the "good old days" with no clue what the "good old days" really entailed. A girl helping grandma churn butter and chase chickens, helping mama "mother" the siblings and cousins or stir the pot are not the same as a woman being a mom. A father who knows his family won't eat if he doesn't find a way to feed them, even when his wife is unable to put the children on hold to help, is a far cry from a boy with a work gig to attract a hot chick.

We really need to learn the difference between primary responsibility and playing at being an adult. Only responsible, compassionate adults should have true authority. We seem to have created a country of whiny wimps. As my daughter once told me, "You want your children to grow, but you don't want us to go through the pain that goes with it."

I encouraged them to grow, but it is true that I couldn't always watch as they made their mistakes. Most times, the best I could do was to be waiting in the wings for when they needed or wanted me. While I am still available to them, the greatest joy in my life is that they have found communities that can take my place in their times of need. To paraphrase Kenny Rogers' The Gambler, "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to scold 'em, when we should walk away and when we should come..."

My prayer for Pentecost is that we all learn to allow and encourage growth and compassionate responsibility in those with whom we're in relationships.