in sorrow with a brother
I'll write more later, but. . .I have a 6th grader (and his siblings) who are going through an intensely difficult time. They (and their mother) have discovered that their father is not the man everyone thought he was. My heart aches for them all, but especially my boy--his father has been his hero, and he is a very sensitive child. How does one even find words to say to another that can even hope to help? This is when magic power to hurt people would come in handy. All of my protective instincts come out and I want to avenge the aweful hurt that has been done to people I care deeply about. But I can do nothing. Well. . .not nothing. I can pray--and who is a better Avenger than Jehovah? But something tangible to do would help me. It seems so . . . inane to hurt with those who are hurting, but it must count for something since Paul said that believers are to do that. He wouldn't have emphasized it had it not been important. Seeing the broken heart of my student makes it seem so insignificant, though. I wish people would, in their selfishness, pause for a moment and consider the widespread ramifications of their sin--but then, I suppose it is the selfishness of their sin that prevents them from seeing it. Sometimes I hate people. I guess I really hate sin, and sin natures, and those who claim the name of Christ yet willfully continue in sin knowing what the consequences will be if they are caught. At any rate, I posted all of this to ask you, my brethren and theirs, to plunge yourselves into prayer for this family and their pain. Please. They need it desperately.