It's All Mom's Fault

So why are our kids the hardest on us? I mean really? Once they grow up and get on their own, sometimes they look back and remember the bad. Out of so much good....out of so much sacrifice...out of so much love...they will hold the shortcomings against us. I think that is why so many young adults go into counseling and WHO is the one that gets most of the blame?!!! Oh yeah...that would be dear old MOM. Mom who loved so unconditionally. Mom who still loves unconditionally. Mom who will continue to love despite their children harboring our shortcomings against us.

So when will they finally take responsibility for their own well being? When will they stop placing blame? When will they have grace instead of condemnation? When will they have grace for the one who dumped BUCKETS of grace on them as they went through childhood and adolescents?

Now that I am my age I can really relate to the Luke 18:9-14. I guess when I was a young adult, I could find myself in the Pharisee portion of this text. I thought it was all about the do's and dont's. I felt I pretty much had a handle on the do's and dont's. I read my Bible everyday. I went to church several times a week. I prayed daily. I belonged to a small group. I had a good measure of the fruits of the spirit. I thought I was pretty righteous. I thought I could approach God with my gaze upward in the middle of the synagogue. I could look around and see so many who were not hitting the standard as I was. And I felt pretty good and very smug about it.

Now that I am older and a good amount of time has passed, my life has been imperfect. There were some "bumps in the road" as all lives experience. There were some "dark nights of the soul." There was the divorce, the struggles as single mom, the stretching to make ends meet, the disappointments at work, the broken relationships, the realities of my own sin...the imperfections of ME. Now I am more like the tax collector. I find myself on the fringe, beating my chest with my head and gaze lowered, praying, "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner."