$20 Bill
Recently, the Lord gave me a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate the power of His awesome grace to one of my sons.
This son phoned me at the bookstore one day and said, "Guess what, mom... I found a $20 bill in the pocket of one of my pairs of shorts."
Immediately I discerned that what he was telling me probably wasn't the truth. But I congratulated him on finding the lost money and we speculated that it was probably some forgotten birthday money. End of phone call.
When I hung up the phone with him I tried to
remind myself to check in a drawer at home to see if a $20 bill
was still there. It is a drawer that the older boys know about... where my husband and I stash extra cash for emergencies.
That night I forgot to check, but a few days later I remembered and saw that it was missing. My husband hadn't taken any money from it... and money had never been missing before. I knew I had to talk to my son.
What a flashback to my childhood!!
My son was from my blood, for sure. But he didn't have the desperate, driving need for money that I thought I had as a child... or did he? I remembered the guilt and shame... and the loss of trust with my parents as I stole time and again and was caught and disciplined for it. I remembered how it felt... how I knew I lost their trust so I didn't care after awhile... Oh, no. I don't want my dear son feeling that way or taking that path!
I brought him into a quiet room away from his brothers and we sat down together. I told him I wanted to tell him a story... and I proceeded to tell him about when I was a little girl and I had taken a $10 bill from my mother's wallet. My mother found the money missing very shortly afterward and was distraught. It was the only money we had for groceries that week! I felt so terrible... and I really wanted to return the money. But how? I decided to make up a story to cover my sin. I went outside to where the sprinkler was watering the lawn and I pretended to find the money under the sprinkler. I went in the house, triumphant that I had "found" the (now wet) missing money, eager to hand it over to my distraught mother and make things right again.
Much to my dismay, I was met with an angry parent who vowed that I was lying... that I had stolen the money... and that I could never be trusted. I sank deeper into my sin, believing that I might as well be what she claimed I was. It didn't matter anymore.
I knew that I wanted this encounter with my son to be very, very different.
So I told him the story while holding him in
my arms and rubbing his back. Then I let him know that I was missing $20 and I asked if it was possibly the $20 that he had found in his pocket. He immediately said, "No, mom... I did find that in my pocket."
I was so pleased that God was in control!!! It was at this point that I got the awesome opportunity to heal a great wrong in my life... simply by treating my son (in his sin) the way that I had only dreamed of being treated.
I said to him, "I BELIEVE you."
I hugged him and sent him on his way.
Later that night I mentioned to him that we
needed to put the $20 up on his "chart." We keep a running account of the younger children's money on a chart on the refrigerator. Then we keep the cash for them so they don't lose it. They do this by choice, and he had already given me the $20 bill the day he had called me to say he had found it in his pocket. They usually keep smaller amounts in their wallets, but the bigger amounts they give back to us and write up on their "account."
I had joyfully written the $20 entry on his account. I felt such peace... such joy. Conviction of sin was up to the Holy Spirit alone!! I had done the only job required of me... I had lavished "prodigal" grace on my son.
I call it prodigal grace because prodigal means "reckless, lavish, wasteful." The father in the parable of the "prodigal son" was actually the one who was reckless, lavish, and wasteful!! He "wasted" the fatted calf on his wayward son; he "lavished" an undeserved gift of a robe and a ring. He recklessly ran down the road to meet him. He poured out unconditional love. Yes -- that is what I lacked as a child. That is what I wanted my son, yet in his unrepentant sin, to experience.
A few hours later I was preparing to read aloud
a book to the boys. My heartbroken son came into the room and burst into tears at my side. I hugged him. I asked him if he would like to tell me something.
"Yes...", he stammered, "I.... I did take that money out of your drawer, Mom."
What joy in my heart to see the Holy Spirit bring about the work of repentance totally unhindered by me!!!
I said this to him...”Oh, my dear son... I LOVE you. I am so proud of you for telling me the truth. That took SO much courage. I believed you when you told me that you didn't take the money because I really trust you. I'm so glad I can trust you to tell me the truth. I know that was a hard thing to do.
I do want you to know something. All that I have is yours. If you ever feel like you need money you just come and tell me. I don't ever want you to feel like you have to steal.
And I want you to keep that money... I don't want it back. I'm just so glad you let the Holy Spirit work in your heart."
Yes... I wanted him to keep the money. And no one else in our household knows what happened. I covered over his sin for a very good purpose --- so that he will never forget what that kind of love feels like.
I don't believe I'll ever deal with this issue
with him again. And for that very reason... it was worth it to be a prodigal mom.
God's love is so radical toward us... so incredibly unbelievable!! We were ungodly, we were sinners, we were enemies.
One will hardly die for a righteous
man; though perhaps for the good
man someone would dare even to
die. But God demonstrates His own
love toward us, in that while we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us.
(Romans 5:7-8)
Won't you show a little of that "amazing grace" to your undeserving child today?
Heather
