Walter Wangerin in his book, The Manger Is Empty, "has
a wonderful story, called 'Matthew, Seven, Eight, and Nine' about how he tried
to stop his son Matthew from stealing comic books. He tried various uses of the
law over several years and continued to fail. Finally, he resorted to something
he rarely used: a spanking. He did it deliberately, almost ritualistically, and
he was so upset when he finished that he left the room and wept. After pulling
himself back together, he went in to Matthew and hugged him.
"A number
of years later, Matthew and his mother were doing some general reminiscing, and
Matthew happened to bring up the time when he kept stealing comic books. 'And
you know why I finally stopped?' he asked. 'Sure,' she said, 'because Dad
finally spanked you.' 'No!' replied Matthew, 'No, because Dad
cried.'
Dear God
thank you
that you know
and understand me
more than anyone else ever could,
and that you care deeply for me.
Please help me
to grasp the fullness
of your love and concern
and learn to trust in you
implicitly no matter what.
Thank you
for hearing and answering my prayerz
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