Pain, Lent, And Parenting

SAT., FEB. 5, 1994, 5:43 AM
FARM, STUDY

Pain is again yours to experience. Clearly there is something amiss with the central nerve of your right leg. The pain is not severe, but it is continuously bothersome, so you have had a night with little sleep. You know that your body can heal itself, but it will take some time… some time of unpleasantness. As expected, I’ll say again: you have pain very seldom, so appreciate this and empathize with those who experience such more often, even constantly. I am with you, even as I do not magically relieve your aches.

Lent is a time of preparing for the remembrance of My last days on earth, as Jesus, the man. It is a story that you know well, of course, so it is not difficult to remember. Since it was a sacrifice for you, and for every human, this time of Lent should also have some symbolic sacrificial quality. There will be suggestions tomorrow of what you might do… rather than not do…and you should consider these carefully. Still, it may be better to take the spirit of the season and let it suggest what is just right for you. There must be some sacrifice, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy what you do. You should make your own list and work from that, but consider the ones suggested at the church also.

You hope that you’ll be giving up pain by then, and that’s probable. You also hope that you won’t lose function of the foot as you have in the past. Whatever comes, however, is yours to experience, and should be seen as part of the Lenten observation.

It has been announced that you and Lenore will be a featured part of the program for the Parenting Forum tomorrow morning. This is not an assignment you would have sought, but you can’t get out of it, even because of pain.

You have not felt that your performance as a parent was very good… certainly not exemplary. Yet you can’t really identify ways in which you could have acted that would have made you feel better about your fatherhood. You feel this way and still you must admit that your sons seem to be good men, and, particularly, good fathers. So each has emerged from childhood, adolescence, and very young adulthood to be good, interesting, conscientious men, with three being good servants of Mine, each in a different tradition, but part of the Whole Body.

This, of course, is of prime importance to Me… much more so than their income and financial condition. In the midst of the struggles of life I want to see spiritual growth and increasing spiritual power… and I do see this in your three older sons. You still wish they would have remained in this Presbyterian tradition that you find satisfying, but you see that this is increasingly unlikely. It is surprising to you that they embrace these more liturgical ways, but just continue to be proud that each is a dedicated part of his congregation.

Then there is Matthew, he who has just become 30, in years. I continue to gently call him, but the time is not yet here for a dramatic turn to Me. He is homosexual, but not sexually promiscuous. He is wealthy, but has not yet found genuine comfort and peace in this “good fortune.” And yet you see evidences of a desire to be a helpful, responsible person, without the traditional families of which his brothers are leaders. You have not kept in touch with him as you should have. Consider this in your Lenten choices. It is difficult to know how to be a good father to this unique 30 year old. Just know that I am with you in it.