Running the Race, Even in Crisis

Over the last several weeks we have been dealing with a crisis in our home.  I will spare you the details until they resolve themselves, but lets just say it has been one of the toughest things within my family, specifically a child, that I have had to deal with to date. 
But I can see God at work already.  He has reminded me of the importance of community.  Without them, my son would be grounded and possibly even chained to his bed for life.  Through my community of friends I was reminded of several things:

1. Get beyond my emotions before making any decisions
2. The importance of family identity. If I kept my son in his room all summer then our family relationships would suffer.
3. Don't just take away his freedoms, but have a plan for building him up as well.
4. I have to be willing to make hard decisions even when others don't understand
5. The importance of biblical conflict resolution as we represent God to everyone involved in this situation
6. I can choose to see this as a teachable moment or I can choose to crumble in submission to my emotions but the outcome of this really is up to me and how I respond.

You see, I had been struggling for some time with this whole idea of being missional to our neighbors.  There is a kid in the neighborhood who really struggles to make good decisions.  His family life is not the greatest and we decided that we could make a difference in his life.  What I discovered instead is that he was influencing my child more than we were influencing him and this particular crisis was proof of just that.  So, while it is one of the hardest things that I have faced with my family, I am really glad it happened.  It has become my line in the sand; a defining moment for my family.  God is at work and needed to get my attention. He has revealed my sons heart at a time where there is still hope. He has revealed to me, that I can't save the world while my own son, that he has entrusted me with, goes astray.  What I can do is pray for this family and hopefully be a living example of Christ just from the way we live our lives.

So we will continue to run the race with perseverance not focusing on the current position but keeping our eyes on the prize knowing that with God all things are possible, including giving us the strength we need to make it through this crisis and any crisis that we may face in the future. 

Romans 8:31 ...if God is for us, who can be against us?

I am linking with:  The Unveiled Wife and Women Living Well