Runway Walk - Pt 3

(Part 3 of 7)

Walking On The Moon

After a stairway fall which broke my right leg in two places, I was immobile for weeks, with much time to spend contemplating what God’s Word has to say about walking – which I couldn’t do for the next several weeks.  As I read Ephesians 4:1, falling in love with the sense of being captivated by the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit began to teach me truths from God’s Word about a worthy walk.

Studying God’s Word, I began to understand that Paul was begging that believers walk in such a way as to remind others of their Father.  The Greek word for worthy actually means to behave appropriately, as becomes one, in godliness, as if drawing praise, or to lead.  In other words, we are to walk in such a way as to lead others directly to the Lord Jesus Christ.

As our sons were growing up, testing boundaries on a daily basis, I remember an embarrassing incident when one of them chose to moon an acquaintance.  An adult saw the inappropriate behavior and called police, who promptly arrested our son.  He called from the police station, where his dad and I went to retrieve our very remorseful son.  The newspaper picked up the incident, amongst the local rapes, murders, and drug arrests, and found it so humorous, they opted to print the event on the front of the metro page, complete with our son’s name, address, and age.  It came out on the Saturday prior to the Sunday I was to teach a parenting seminar for women at our church, one of the largest in the Atlanta area.

Do I need to explain how utterly I felt I had failed, not only in parenting our son, but also in walking in a worthy way?  Our son’s choice in no way reflected our beliefs, our values, or our choices; yet, it impacted us, dramatically.  I was overcome with shame and humiliation, covering up in the bed, weeping, and telling the Lord that I could never teach again.  I explained to Him that the only way I would get out of the bed was if He raptured me out of the bed and that the only place I could ever serve Him was in Siberia, far away from this town.  After all, I was a Bible study teacher, a pastor’s daughter, a church staff member…  How could my son walk in such an unworthy way!  I strongly suspect that it was in the same selfish and self-centered way that I behave when I walk my own way, rather than to walk in a way that looks like my heavenly Father and declares His worth!

Suddenly, the Lord began to speak to my heart, as I heard His tender voice say, “Gerry, I am the same, yesterday, today, and forever.  Just because your circumstances have changed, it doesn’t mean that my word on parenting has changed.  I am the same God of the valley as I am on the mountaintop.  My call on your life doesn’t change because you have good days and bad days.  You are called to stand on the truth of my word forever.  What I called you to share doesn’t depend upon your success but it does require your obedience.”

Next, I heard gentle questioning:  Who gave you your children?  Why, You did, of course, Father.  Did I know you would be an imperfect parent when I gave them to you?  Yes, Father, you know all things before they ever are.  Did I give them to you anyway?  Yes, Father.  Then, are you saying that I gave them to you to fail?  Of course not, Father.  You are faithful to finish what you have called us to do.

Gerry, Who parented Adam and Eve?  Well, You did, Father.  Did they always make right decisions?  No, Father.  Then, are you saying that I failed them?  No, of course not, Father.  Then, Gerry, get out of the way and let me deal with your son.  This is between him and Me.  You continue to live for Me, love and pray for him, and teach my word to others.

The next morning, I drug myself into the seminar, hoping for one of two things:  that no one in this area of Georgia was literate or that no one had seen the paper the day before.  However, the Lord strengthened my heart as I remembered James 5:16 and Galatians 6:2, and I told the women, humbly:  Some of you may have read about our precious son in the paper, yesterday.  I want to confess before God and all of you that our son is the imperfect son of imperfect parents.  However, God is not done with us, yet, and I want to make you a promise.  If you will pray for our son and his parents, when you come to me with a broken heart, I will lift you to our Father.

I share this story with you by our son’s permission, with the only caveat being to tell others that God did not give up on him, and neither did we.  Today, he is a loving husband, a wonderful father, and a fine man – and he has never mooned anyone, again.  I am grateful that God did not give up on me, either, and leave me in our bedroom until the rapture!

No matter where you may find yourself today in your personal walk and no matter where those you love may be in their personal walk, God gives us hope and encouragement to begin to walk worthy exactly where we are, not where we wish we were or intended to be.  Lamentations 3:22-23 encourages us that it is just by His mercy that we have not all been consumed.  His compassion never fails; it is fresh every morning.  Great is His faithfulness.  Ecclesiastes 9:4 says that as long as there is breath, there is hope.  I John 1:9 reminds us that if we confess our sins (see them as God sees them and say about them as God says about them), He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from unrighteousness.  In other words, we can start over as a spiritual virgin because of our personal relationship with the Lord God through the Lord Jesus Christ and in the power of the sweet Holy Spirit.

How is your walk today?  Are you walking in such a way as to lead anyone to Jesus?  Are you walking in a way that declares who He is and whose you are?  Can others look at your walk and know where you are leading them?  Or, are you walking in such a way as to reflect poorly on your Father?  If you are walking worthy, keep on walking; if not, let today be the first day of your worthy walk!

- Next Week, part 4, "Horses, Hysterics and Runway Models" -

© 2010 Gerry Sisk

(05/19/10)