I’m sure many of you are familiar with the story of Paul and Silas in jail in Philippi. You know, the one where they’ve been “severely beaten,” thrown in jail with their feet clamped in stocks but yet they “were praying and singing hymns to God.” If you’re not familiar with it, you can find it in Acts 16, and, oh yeah, my teenage son could probably tell you all about it without even cracking open his Bible. He has heard it before. As a matter of fact, he has heard it many more times than he would have cared to hear it. Apparently, it’s one of my top five “go to” soapbox speeches. I used it when we told him he was going on the Higher Ground trip (Reader, please note the use of the word “told” in place of “asked”).
It’s part of my job as a parent to push my child outside of his comfort zone, do things that he can learn from, and have mountain top experiences (literally). I’m here to break that sense of entitlement that our culture tells us we are, well, entitled to. Walking with the Lord is counter-cultural. It’s about being a servant, not being served. Hey, I’m an adult; I know all about this, I’ve passed this test already.
