Tuesday, January 19, 2010

A Conversation WORTHY Of Being Repeated

On Saturday, literally just moments before my daughter's nasty stomach virus reared its ugly head; she was excited to tell me something. Keep in mind that we were in the car; I was driving in the New Orleans/Metairie area in the rain, so I could not exactly give her my undivided attention. But, as soon as her mouth closed from sharing her news, mine flew open, and for some strange reason WORTHY was the word that flew out of it. I do not believe I have used this word in a conversation in my entire life, ever!

WORTHY!

All I can say is that her news involved a renewed relationship with someone in her past. My heart sank as hers soared with excitement, confident that I would be thrilled beyond words. I was anything but thrilled, unsettled would better describe how I felt. I cautiously reminded her that she had long since shared with me the corruptness of this relationship. (A few years ago, there were so many others things in her life that had surfaced and left me spent, that this was just one more thing to throw on the heap.) I truly believe by the look on her face that either she had completely forgotten about telling me or maybe she thought I would not remember.

My daughter has caused a tremendous amount of heartache and grief in my life over some of the decisions she has made in hers.  Because I love her so very much and want only the best for her, I have spent many sleepless nights wondering why she doesn't want this too. I am not talking about decisions that were bad based on my opinion alone. I am talking about decisions that have corrupted her testimony, her relationship with family, and more importantly with God. I am talking about decisions that have had negative consequences on a physical level. Why can't she see this? She is such a smart and level headed young lady!

I know this precious baby girl of mine thinks she can do nothing right in the eyes of her mom. Too many times I have been the voice of her conscience, trying to talk her into something or out of something. I was determined this time; however, to not make her feel like she had once again made a mistake.

Worthy: This was the only word that came to my mind. Do I think it was coincidental? No.

I told her that she was precious and worthy of being treated with respect by others. I reminded her to always think of herself as worthy and not to settle for anything less. I encouraged her to respect herself enough to flee from corrupt relationships.

End of conversation.  Short and (bitter) sweet!

Ephesians 4:1 says: I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.

Paul was imprisoned as a result of his faithfulness and obedience to the Lord; however, he considered himself a prisoner of the Lord and here in Ephesians urges his readers to walk, or to conduct themselves in a fashion that is consistent with a Christian's dignified position as a member of the Body of Christ. In other words: In every aspect of our lives we need to demonstrate a Christ-like spirit.

My prayer is that she understood that her mom desires only the best for her, as does her Savior and this should be her desire too: to want the very best in every aspect of her life.

To walk WORTHY!

1 comment:

  1. "Worthy" sounds like just the response your daughter needed to hear. Amazing how God gives us what we need right when we need it!

    ReplyDelete