Grieving for our Children

It always grabs my heart and causes me to evaluate myself every time I read about God grieving for Israels' disobedience.

"Then in the nations where they have been carried captive, those who escape will remember me—how I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts, which have turned away from me, and by their eyes, which have lusted after their idols. They will loathe themselves for the evil they have done and for all their detestable practices." Ezekiel 6:9

It doesn't matter how bad Israel or Judah disobeys, God always grieves for them. The picture in my mind is a statue of Jesus that is at the Oklahoma City Memorial of the bombing. The statue shows Jesus grieving with his hands covering his face. I am not into statues of deity but I must say it is a good picture of God grieving for His people.

The application for myself is how I respond to my children when they disobey. Many times I become frustrated or even angry, which even God does himself when his people disobey him. However, in the midst of the righteous anger (this is another topic in itself) He grieves. I may get frustrated or angry but I fail when it comes to grief. I don't think that we have to cry, but I do think that our children's disobedience should bring compassion, along with discipline, causing us to be more burdened for them. My motivation to pray for them and guide them in the truth should increase. By God's power with this response I believe we can be a reflection of Christ in the midst of disciplining our children. Not only will we guide them to seeking the Lord, we will also have a peace in our heart when we discipline.

A.W. Tozer was asked by a college student what the keys were to reaching people for Christ. Tozer quickly answered by saying: Bent knees, Wet eyes, and a Broken heart. My prayer is to do likewise in reaching my children for Christ as well as any other children God puts in my path.