A couple of months ago I preached on the verse from the Ten Commandments which warns us not to bear false witness against others. I suggested that there are a number of current applications of this commandment, including the parent wars which occur when couples break up. I made reference to an interview I heard with Ontario family court judge Harvey Brownstone, who has written a book on what he has seen and heard through the years.
Judge Brownstone is in demand again today because of a negotiated truce involving divorced parents and their three sons. The enmity between mother and father has been so toxic that the younger brothers have been removed from their care and it appears that the most mature interested party is still in his teens. The eldest of the three had applied for custody of his brothers, but at his eighteenth birthday party they came up with a mutual agreement.
The bible contains many stories of family feuds which have many negative consequences, including death. One of Jesus' "show-stopper" parables is of the prodigal son, but even there the older brother is not impressed by reconciliation. Three thousand years ago or today, family dynamics can tear us apart, as well as nurture us.
What do you think about the Ontario ruling? Do you feel that a relationship with God can make a positive difference when we are "at odds" with loved ones?
2 comments:
If nothing else a relationship with God helps us remember that we ourselves are not God and thus may not be perfect ourselves. Praying for someone we are at odds with does seem to open up the heart towards that person, and to see the other as we would imagine God sees us.
Well said.
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