Bring them in

The parents of the right-living will celebrate; yes, parents of children who make wise choices are happy. (Proverbs 23:24 VOICE)

If you have ever looked at one of your children, grandchildren, or friends, noticing some of the 'not so wise' choices they have been making, you may have wondered how they got things 'so wrong' in their decisions. They were 'raised better than that', after all. weren't they? Why did they choose to ignore all their upbringing with that decision? When our kiddos and acquaintances make right choices, we celebrate don't we? When they make unwise ones, what is our response? Is it to condemn them, bail them out, or do we continue to pray for them, be a positive example, and be there when they need us? It is quite possible that we feel the one who has made unwise choices may feel a little 'let down' or 'exasperated' by those choices themselves, but they don't know what to do about it. That doesn't mean we cannot continue to 'bring them' into the throne of God's grace.

The throne room of God is where miracles are unleashed - where unwise decisions are somehow redeemed. That individual may not know he or she needs to go there yet, but we can be the ones who take them there, pouring out their names before God in prayer. We don't know what they need, but God does. We don't know how they will be redeemed from their unwise choices, but he certainly has a plan. We need to bring them there, trust God to do what only he can do, and then keep bringing them there until we see all of heaven moving on their behalf! This is the 'duty' of a parent or a friend - to not only care for that one while they are making wise choices, but to 'nurture' them in every way possible, including ushering them into God's presence when they are not able or willing to do so themselves.

At times, we feel like we have not done well in our own behavior, especially when we see that child or friend makes unwise choices, too. Remember this - we ALL have our own 'will' to do or not do whatever it is we are considering. We cannot 'own' the decisions of our loved one or friend - they 'own' their decisions. We can pray for them to make wise ones, trusting that they will have learned to do so. When we make unwise choices, do we want someone taking us before God and petitioning God for his grace? You betcha! We can do the same for anyone we see making unwise choices, but especially for our family members and friends. In fact, God actually wants us to be sensitive to their needs, interceding on their behalf. He might actually put that burden in our hearts because he knows they aren't done making foolish decisions!

When we enter into God's throne room on another's behalf, it isn't because we are better than the individual we are bringing to the foot of God's altar. It is because we love them, want the best for them, and know that God's intervention in their lives is always going to be because he loves them and wants the best for them, too. It could be a child, grandchild, niece, or nephew, close friend or an acquaintance. It matters not who it is - it matters that we bring them before God and keep on doing so! Just sayin!