During Lent I felt called to give up my pride and my pain and let God into my soul to heal me. This week I felt I needed to return to that calling. About a year ago, as you have read in my previous posts, there was a great deal of drama surrounding my kids' taekwondo school. The pain in my heart really has nothing to do with the event. It has to do with not being able to protect my children from heartache. I know pain builds character. I know lessons can be learned from it. I also know that I had a bad feeling about the whole situation from the start, and I let someone outside of my family convince me I was imagining the red flags. They were all there. I failed to protect them. I can't go back. I can't undo my decisions. What I can do is give it to God.
"The harvest is abundant, but the laborer are few. Therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers for His harvest. Go on your way. Behold, I am sending you out like lambs among the wolves." Luke 10: 2-3
My boys agreed to go to work at their taekwondo school. They gave up their free time to complete the training, and they passed the test. Good for them! They dealt with coworkers, students, and parents with respect and dignity. Even when they were faced with difficult people in difficult situations, they were unfailing in their confidence and their conduct. I could not be more pleased.
"Whatever house you enter, let your first words be, 'Peace to this house!' If a man of peace lives there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you." Luke 10: 5-6
My boys accepted extra tasks for no additional pay. They did the best job they could, and
I received many compliments as the mother of good boys. They never questioned their orders. They always worked together as a team. They went to work with a good attitude and never cracked in front of difficult people.
"But whenever you enter a town and the people do not welcome you, go out into the streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town that clings to us we wipe off our feet as a sign against you...' Luke 10: 10-11
My boys are not responsible for the decisions and actions of others. Sometimes life just isn't fair. Sometimes people are mean. Sometimes people just want to break others down to build themselves up. Sometimes life is just like that. That's when it is time to decide if it is best to stay and stick it out or if you're just better off starting fresh someplace new.
It is comforting to me to see that Jesus understands difficult people, even when the difficult person is me. I love that He tells His apostles not everyone will love and accept them. That's okay. Just walk away. Move on to the people who will love and accept them. In the case of my boys, that is their film crew. Their experiences shaped them. I can't shield them from all of the pain the world has to offer, but I can be there to comfort them when life goes a little sideways.