Saturday, May 8, 2004

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is your acceptable duty in the Lord.
(Colossians 3.20 NRSV)
Kenny Wheeler grew up in east L.A. where gang-related deaths are epidemic. While in high school, Wheeler looked and acted like a gang member but he didn't actually join a gang. He was fortunate enough to have a teacher who looked out for him. One time, Wheeler skipped school and this teacher called his home. Wheeler's parents went out and looked for their son, found him, and took him back home with them. Says Wheeler, "The other guys laughed for a week--but now some of them are junkies or in jail. It was worth the week that they humiliated and teased me!" Today Wheeler is a gang counselor in Los Angeles.

We all need to know where the boundaries are. They need to know that parents love them enough to hang tough sometimes. We can be firm, yet gentle. Jesus was the ideal model for such behavior. Still, home, first of all, is where values are learned.

Dear God, thank you for the safe haven of love and care you offer in our families. May we learn in our families your eternal truths. Amen.

Ron Newhouse

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