Lessons Learned

Pastor George continued his series on Journey this morning by looking at the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. Once again, I felt like he was speaking directly to me! I had thought about that story before from the older/responsible brother's perspective, but I realized something new this time ... we can still sin while we are following the rules! The older brother had been the responsible one and he followed the rules but when his younger irresponsible brother came home he received a feast. The older brother was angry and bitter toward his younger brother. I can SO relate. Nate and I are here in Harrisburg trying to make a difference. We're doing good things and we follow the rules. In spite of that, though, things don't always go our way. We tend to think that good things come to those who do good things, but it's the heart that God is concerned about. When we were in court about the neighbor's dog and the neighbors didn't show, we could have asked the judge to make them reimburse us for the medical and vet bills that we incurred as a result of their dog jumping our fence and attacking our dog. I'm pretty sure the judge would have done that. Instead we showed our neighbors grace by not asking for money that we knew they didn't really have. That was NOT an easy decision, not after the way they treated us. It is sometimes a daily decision that I have to make to forgive them for their behavior towards us even though they have since moved. God is judge and I am not. Ouch! I have developed a sense of superiority over the years. I've always been the responsible one. I was the good Pastor's kid. I followed the rules. It makes me angry to see people breaking the rules and not caring. It makes me angry to see people abuse the system. It makes me angry to see people handle their money irresponsibly. As Pastor George suggested at the end of his sermon this morning, we need to develop a habit of relinquishing control. I've always thought of sin as the willful disobedience of the known will of God, but I realized today that it is also seeking to be Lord and Master of our own lives. I need to relinquish control and let God back in the pilot seat. Easier said than done. Fortunately for us, God loves us and continues to give us grace even though we don't always follow the "rules". I mess up too and I'm no better than anyone else. I like to fix things and make things better, but people can only change when they decide/want to change ... and only God can make them want to change. I HOPE we're making a difference, a positive change, here in Harrisburg, but I KNOW with absolute certainty that God is using this journey to make a difference, a positive change, in me.