new church life: jan uary/february 2016
sun rose and set – basing this on their
experience. When Galileo said it wasn’t
so he was forced to recant his views.
At first reason can’t rise above
appearances and even illusions. So
our lessons give examples of essential
truths for which the young man or
woman has contempt. All life is from
the Lord. “Well,” says the growing
rational, “what does that make me –
chopped liver?” All good and truth
come from the Lord. “Oh, come now!
Then why do I try to be good. I’ll just
wait for Him to do everything in me. But He doesn’t, so that isn’t true.” You
mustn’t take credit for the good you do. “Of course I must. That’s why I do it.”
The growing mind may not articulate it this way. It’s just that when a
young person finds this power of reason in her mind she uses it in the realm
where she is comfortable – with earthly experiences. So theoretical ideas seem
meaningless and really irrelevant to her life.
At the same time so does authority. Hagar’s contempt for Sarai reflects the
rebelliousness of every generation against the wisdom of the past, and a wish
to give birth to one’s own culture.
Now all this sounds scary. But the true message of this story is that it is
not. It is the only way that children can grow into adult life in this confused
world. When the Lord creates their first rational faculty it is inevitable that it
will be used in argumentative, sometimes aggressive, questioning ways. (And,
by the way, very often the brunt of this misuse is Mom, who has been the
mainstay of the growing mind until then.)
The real message is: “Rejoice in this new power in your child, knowing that
it is developing in the only way possible. It is the harbinger of true freedom and
growth.” It is hard for parents who are dealing with rebellious teenagers or
young people to relate to the need to “rejoice” in their growing rational power
when it is used against them. But remember that Sarai didn’t let Hagar get away
with her contemptuous behavior. She punished her. We must set boundaries,
using the wisdom of the ages – the spiritual Sarai, revealed in the Lord’s Word.
Does the growing mind respond well to those boundaries? Hagar ran away!
A further rebellion. How often have we seen that kind of persistent rebellion?
But once again there is comfort. For even if our children seem to be going
in the wrong direction, they are not alone. Out there in the desert an angel of
the Lord found Hagar and told her she was wrong, and she should go back, and
be obedient. The angel of the Lord is a different quality in us that the Lord uses.
Hagar’s contempt
for Sarai reflects the
rebelliousness of every
generation against the
wisdom of the past,
and a wish to give birth
to one’s own culture.
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