Bethany Reformed Church
705 Cajon Street, Redlands CA  92373  (909)793-1966

   Pastor's Monthly Letter

Dear Friends, 

            One of the hardest things to do in life is to watch your children make choices that you know aren’t good for them, yet your influence is not powerful enough to change the course they have charted for themselves. To stand by, waiting for the inevitable hammer to drop hurts when the ones you love more than anything else are going to suffer due to inexperience and head-strong decisions. Every parent has been there to one degree or another; for some the worst is yet to come.

            Yet, for me, the feelings and emotions are the same as my parents must have felt in days gone by as I spread my wings and chose my own way. I thought my mom and dad could not possibly understand what was happening in my life; they were so, so ancient. Modern times called for modern thinking and reactions and expressions. They were so, so old. What did they know?

            Well, it was only a few short years until I found myself in their shoes and my sons looked at me with that distain that says, “What do you know old man?” I’ve heard it said that the “chickens come home to roost”. Others have said, “I hope you have kids just like you” or “What goes around, comes around.”

            And the day is coming, when our children will go through what, it seems, each generation must go through. Their children will disregard their advice and head wholeheartedly into pitfalls that await to ensnare them. It will hurt them exactly like it hurt my generation and the one before me and before that. Biblical stories abound where children ignored their parents’ example and made choices that hurt the parents and caused the children immense pain, as well. Think of Cain and Abel, or Esau and Jacob, or David and Solomon, or Samson and his parents, or the prodigal son, or well, you get the idea.

            God knows the feeling to. His children do the same thing from time to time. We each have chosen things that God knew were not good for us, yet he stood by watching us go our own way. Each time he let us run headlong into the consequences which hurt him more than us. Each time he longed in love to have us back living as he wanted. God’s love for us, his children, knows no bounds. His desire is that you and I make choices which are in his will; which honor his place in our lives; which return the love that he has for us.

            The promise of God is that he will never forsake us. You cannot out-love or out-give God. He remains faithful—always. So believe that your past choices will never separate you from his grace. Bring them and lay them at his feet. He forgives and forgets. Tomorrow is always new—a clean slate to start afresh walking with him. He is a great Father and always will be. 

In Him, 

Pastor Leon

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