Going On The Wrong Path

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

There was a boy named Joel. Now Joel was the son of a Southern Baptist Preacher... Joel was a good boy.. He respected his parents.. He got excellent grades in school. He was gentle with children and helpful with the elderly... When Joel was in high school he was a cubbie leader in Awanas... when he sang in church he lifted his hands and his heart in worship... He loved the Lord with all his heart.. mind.. and body.. He never gave his parents an ounce of worry or grief... Towards the end of his senior year in high school he got a large envelope in the mail.... He had been accepted to Duke University on a full scholarship for basketball.... Everyone was happy... Joel was overjoyed..

Joel started Duke with high hopes and expectations... He immediately began to excel in everything he did.. so much so that he was asked to tutor other students in the evenings... of course he said yes and the money was an extra bonus... Joel was making new friends at Duke and was enjoying being away from home... He was enjoying his freedom... His freedom to make his own choices... His freedom to come and go as he pleased...

Joel became friends with another Duke student named Bryan... Bryan was one of Joel's students.. Bryan liked to have fun.... Bryan liked the bar scene.. Bryan liked the drug scene... and Joel followed... Soon Joel liked the bar scene... and Joel liked the drug scene... and soon Joel's dreams of playing professional basketball....was gone....scholarship gone... his self worth gone....

Many years went by... Joel was lost to himself...to his parents.... to his God... he was trapped in a world of drugs and alcohol... Moving from one homeless shelter to another... his parents had no idea where Joel was until one day...they receive a phone call... Joel had gone to a drug house and was robbed and thrown out a two story window.. he was in a coma... the doctors were sure he would die... Joel's parents sat by his bedside day and night...praying.. praying for healing.. praying for forgiveness, praying for everything that went wrong... and thanking God for bringing their son home.... After three months in a coma... Joel woke up..

Joel's recovery was slow... when he was able to talk again.. he told the story of his months in the coma... He said he wasn't alone... Jesus kept him company... They talked about how lost Joel had become...how loved he was... How Joel had to clean himself up...Joel had to make changes...he had to go back to Christ... and he did..

Today, Joel is a pastor in Colorado. Along with his beautiful wife Sidney and their five children... Joel came back to the Lord on fire....

As parents it is difficult to see adult children making the wrong choices in life..it's hard to sit back and let them go...while letting them know you are there...you will always be there...you will always love them... and when they finally come back into your embrace... welcome them home...