Day Eighteen: Mother and Son

      The night I dropped my twelve year old off at his first campout, I offered to give the scoutmaster my cell phone number. “Just call me if he has any problems and I can come and get him.” The scoutmaster put his arm around me and walked me toward my car, “I have never called a parent to pick up a boy from camp. He’ll figure it out.” My little boy, who had never slept a night without a nightlight and certainly never outside in a tent in the woods without his mom, made it through his first night in the woods. He said it was rough the first night, he could hardly sleep and had wanted to come home. “The next morning was worth it,” he said. They cooked their own breakfast over an open fire and learned to use a bear

knife.

     “The second night,” he said, “was a snap.” Maybe because he was armed with the knowledge of how to use a bear knife, maybe because his mom let him alone long enough to stand up to the challenge and grow up. When my son hopped in the car after the campout he said, “You dropped off a boy but you picked up a scout.”

     When Jesus looked down from the cross and told Mary, “This is your son,” I am sure John perked up and was flooded with questions about what that meant. The responsibilities of a son to take care of his mother, especially his Lord’s mother, must have seemed enormous. What a challenge he’d been given and yet, what an honor. I imagine that John, the little brother, grew up a lot that day. Now he had the responsibility to care for Jesus’ mother and I am sure he rose up to the occasion and surprised a lot of people, especially the older disciples.

     God calls us to stand up and take on the challenges of growing up in our faith. What experiences have you been through that made you perk up and realize it was time to grow up and be a faithful leader in a situation or role that you play in Christ?STUDY GUIDE:

 Follow along in JOHN: 90 Days with the Beloved Disciple by Beth Moore pages 83-88

 Read John 19:17-27

 Answer the following questions in your study guide:

     1. How do you imagine the fulfillment of this responsibility played itself out over the course of John and Mary’s remaining years?

     2. What responsibilities has the Lord placed upon you? And just as this one was between John and Mary, how are your responsibilities expressions of His care for you and others?

     3. This question is hard for most of us to answer, but think of it as a tribute to God and His gifting rather than self-promotion. What has He made “simply different” about you? And how can you use this to bring honor to Him?

 Share a brief highlight or two from your thoughts and answers in a comment posted to the group. (Read guidelines and cautions posted August 1, 2010 before you post).

 Read the comments of others and share your thoughts and encouragement with them by replying to their comments. Identify which post you are responding to by addressing them and their subject or pasting a brief portion of their reply at the start of your post.

PRAY WITH ME:

Lord, thank you for choosing each one of us to walk out a very unique purpose in your Kingdom. Help us to hear your calling and to stand up to the challenges it brings. Grow our faith from infancy into maturity and let us fulfill the roles that you give us faithfully. Through your mercy and grace and power we can do all things in Christ you assign us to do. In Jesus Name, Amen.