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“Steady”

Roger C. Palms

Recently, when I was preaching in a church, I told the story of a woman whom I had met at one of Billy Graham’s crusades. She told me how reluctant she had been to serve as a counsellor. “I have two sons,” she said. “Both of them are in prison.” But she came to realize that they were responsible for themselves. And, as a counsellor, she found that God was leading her to other mothers who were experiencing similar pain.

After the worship service where I told about that woman’s experience, a man and his wife came to me and said, “We don’t attend this church. We are visitors today. Thank you for telling us about that woman.” Then they told me that their son was in prison for killing his wife and two children. The pain that they felt was so evident. I put my arms around them and prayed with them. They needed to know that they were not failures.

I’m learning that buried deep inside many parents, mothers especially, there is hurt caused by children who, as one woman expressed it, “have rejected everything I believe in, including God.”

But also, playing again and again in my mind is something else that happened one day during a crusade in London, England. I went for a walk with Billy Graham, and, as we walked, we talked about children. He was interested in my children, and he asked me how they were growing, maturing and getting along. He spoke of loving our children, and added, “Don’t ever give up on them.”

I never forgot that conversation, even though it took place years ago when my children were still living at home. I’ve often repeated those words to myself, and I have used them in conversations with other people. I’ve found that it doesn’t matter how old our children are – 15, 20 or 45 years old – Mr. Graham’s counsel is still pertinent: “Don’t ever give up on your children.”

This article was taken from Decision magazine, May 1996 © Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, used by permission, all rights reserved. Roger C. Palms lives in Anoka, MN and is a former editor of Decision.

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Last modified October 15, 1999.

© 1999 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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