A Lesson Learned

My daughter did something naughty the other day. It was not terrible, but she did disobey us. She wasn’t supposed to go on any app or social media without asking for permission first. The internet is a dangerous place out there, and we don’t want either of our kids to get hurt, bullied, or see things they aren’t supposed to see. Well she went on a website in which you can role play. She did not ask for permission and kept it secret…until. Well until the inevitable was going to happen-people on the site bullied her. They ganged up on her, went in other chat rooms she wasn’t invited to, and called her names. The worst was when one of them called her, “a little piece of s**t.” I think that’s what got to her. It’s what got to me. I found her, when her sin had caught up to her, standing in front of her room with a horrible look on her face. I asked her what was wrong and she hesitated to tell me. I pried, so she burst out into tears and told me the whole sordid story. She said she was sorry for disobeying us and she learned her lesson. I gave her a hug and reminded her why we didn’t want her going on anything on the internet without asking first. We don’t do it because we are mean parents that want her to suffer in the dark ages. It’s because we know what’s out there and we want to protect her.

When my daughter told me the story, I became so angry at those bullies who hide behind the internet. They don’t know her, they don’t love her. They could care less about her. She is nothing to them. But she is everything to me. My heart broke when I saw the pain in her eyes. When I watched the tears run down her face, I wanted to hurt those bullies so badly.

In the midst of this I can’t stop thinking of God as our parent. He says He loves us more than we can love our own children. How can that be? How could God have more anger towards people who would harm His children? As much as I had for the bullies who hurt my daughter? He says Yes. He loves us so much, He doesn’t want us to get hurt. All the rules God gives us are for our benefit. If we go outside those rules, we’ll get hurt.

Take adultery for instance. It’s a really bad idea. God doesn’t want us to commit adultery because it will always end badly. It will hurt everybody involved…deeply. It’s not because God doesn’t want us to have any fun. He says have all the fun you want, just stay in the confines of your own marriage. That way, nobody get’s hurt.

Or, God tells us not to get drunk with anything, but be filled with the Holy Spirit. I’ve talked about my experience with drunkenness, growing up in Alaska. Getting drunk is a really bad idea. First of all, you wake up feeling terrible. Secondly, as a relative of mine said, after a night of drinking you have to try and remember who you need to apologize to the next morning. It’s bad for your body and your brain. It’s really hard on your liver. And it especially likes to kill all the relationships you have in your life. I wonder how many children have started life because of a mother’s drunken state the night before?

In contrast, to be filled with the Holy Spirit is amazing because there are no side effects. There are no headaches. Being filled with the Holy Spirit does not marinate your liver. You don’t have to apologize to anyone. People like you because they see God in you-the Holy Spirit! Only good things come from being filled with the Holy Spirit.

As I walk this journey in life as a Christian and as a mother, I see so much and understand more and more of God’s love in our lives. His love for us is unfathomable. I see my love for my children as deep and endearing. Yet, God loves His children (me) deeper than my love for my children. How can that be? I know how I feel towards my kids. And God loves me more than that? Deeper than that? I can’t wrap my head around it.

When I talked to my daughter more about the internet scandal she told me something interesting. She said, “I thought I knew better than you. I didn’t think you knew what you were talking about. I didn’t think this app would be bad.” Whoa! Isn’t that what we say before we commit some sin before God.

“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you want to pay.”