One time a couple asked...
Illustration
One time a couple asked me, as their pastor, to speak to their son. He had been expelled from college for a serious infraction. His parents were deeply concerned about his actions.
I talked to the troubled boy. I told him that we loved him, cared for him, believed in him, and wanted to help him. I wish I could tell you that my conversation turned his life around. But it did not. He listened impassively, thanked me, and then walked away. When he walked out, as he was heading for the front door, I thought, "We are letting you go. We're not just letting you go anywhere. We let you go in the trust that God who claimed you in baptism will work in your life enabling you to return home. We let you go -- to God." Like Cain, wandering in the Land of Nod, this boy has a mark upon him that shows to whom he belongs. I can only pray that he will return to the church community from whence he came.
-- Van Der Wall
I talked to the troubled boy. I told him that we loved him, cared for him, believed in him, and wanted to help him. I wish I could tell you that my conversation turned his life around. But it did not. He listened impassively, thanked me, and then walked away. When he walked out, as he was heading for the front door, I thought, "We are letting you go. We're not just letting you go anywhere. We let you go in the trust that God who claimed you in baptism will work in your life enabling you to return home. We let you go -- to God." Like Cain, wandering in the Land of Nod, this boy has a mark upon him that shows to whom he belongs. I can only pray that he will return to the church community from whence he came.
-- Van Der Wall
