Devotion 

Reward or Punishment - Our Choice

Frances Taylor 

Let's read this again. It gives lie to the attitude present in Jesus' time, and sometimes in our own, the children should bear the shame of a parent's transgression or that the parent should be blamed if a child does something wrong. It also lets us know that there is always room to change the direction of our lives and that God will gladly welcome us back. We are not always as generous as God. Families can be ruined if a member is sent to prison. Parents can be blamed because a child turns to alcohol or drugs. The woman who suffers a miscarriage is often asked what she did to cause it. For a long time, anyone who was HIV positive was thought to be condemned, and isolated along with either parents or children – a modern day leper. In Jesus' time it was the man born blind who was asked whose sin had caused it, his or his parents'. If we steal and are fired, that's reasonable. If we steal and our children are fired, that's not reasonable. If a child goes to jail, the parents need to be consoled, not blamed. Our sins are our own, our punishment is our own. At the same time, God waits. God doesn't want to lose any of his children. He pursues us with his grace and gladly welcomes us when we repent and return. May we do the same.

Prayer 

Lord, sometimes we can be too quick to blame or judge others and not exactly kind to people who have turned their lives around. Please give us your Spirit of forgiveness and compassion. Amen.