Mt. 15: 21-28 "But Jesus did not answer the woman. So his followers came to Jesus and begged him, 'Tell the woman to go away. She is following us and shouting'." (v. 23, NCV-Extreme Teen Bible).
Try putting yourself in a disciples' flip-flops as Rev. Marlayna did this week in re-telling the story of a Canaanite woman trying to evoke Jesus' help for her demon-possessed daughter. Emotional exhaustion is difficult and I, like the Apostle Peter look forward to my respite as much as anyone; after all, I'm better able to give when I've been nourished (which includes being rested!). The problem however is that life frequently doesn't come at me, with the orderliness I would prefer. Wouldn't I, or haven't you done everything possible to facilitate the best results for your child?
Just yesterday, I encountered a 3 yr.-old, that a mentor would call 'strong-willed'. I was merely walking the dog with her, her Mom and big sister before they left for home after a whirlwind 2 night visit with us. Oh, did I say I was looking forward to a nap, post their departure? Any who, Ms. Three proceeded to strongly and with many tears refuse a dose of a much-needed medication, outside CVS where we'd paused to buy it. The Matthew text will definitively aid my future dealings with this precious grand-child. In the moment my silence was like Jesus, but unlike the healing that He delivered, I believe I failed in my follow-through. My empathy was there for both mother and child and I believe each would attest to my consistent love / support. But, where I commonly fall short on this sort of thing is my cop-out, that it's just "not my business", instead of venturing into the issue knowledgeably and constructively; then sharing it tactfully, just like how God does [that] to me. My hope now, is that my faith will propel me to deliver encouragement and my knowledge and hope regarding strong-willed kids to my daughter in our next conversation. I'll proceed, please pray; it's never too late to do the right thing.
May God's grace & peace & perpetual light shine upon you! Kevin for your Deacons....