Hearts aligned
"Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse."
(Malachi 4:5-6)
When I was in high school, I participated in student leadership retreat. I was part of the team that facilitated the retreat. It was a tremendous experience, and helped shape my passion for working with others. There was one activity, however, that left an indelible mark on me. It was an activity called BLACK AND WHITE. The concept was simple: choose with of two items best fits you, and physically walk to that side of the room. For example, Coke v. Pepsi... Dancing v. Dining... Playing sports v. watching sports... etc.
As the activity progressed the questions got a lot more personal (and difficult to answer). Eventually, one fo the questions was: "Do you know without a shadow of a doubt that your parents love you, or are you not quite sure?" It broke my heart to see 5 or 6 youth walk over tot he "not sure" side of the room.
Psychologists and sociologists say that one's personality is largely formed by the time a child is 4 years old. The parent/child relationship is so critical - at EVERY stage of development. Jody and I can attest that our children have been a tremendous blessing to us over the years! We feel fortunate that each of us grew up in homes with loving & supportive parents, knowing that we were indeed loved. Our parents grew up in similar homes as well. Hopefully we were able to pass that experience on to our kids... so they'll be able to (eventually) pass it on to theirs.
But not everyone has that. We're often the harshest with the ones we're closest to. But that's no excuse. Nevertheless, some parents are estranged from their children. How sad.
Today's scripture reading from the last chapter of Malachi speaks a word of hope into this situation. When all is said and done, and the day of the LORD finally comes, the Savior will bring healing and reconciliation to families. "He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and children to their parents." What a promise! To know that God desires wholeness of relationships within families is something to cling to.
If you're in a relationship with your parent/children that isn't what it should be, don't settle for "the way it is." God wants reconciliation! Put it in God's hands. Allow God to being that work today. It might be your greatest Christmas present this year!