they treat them ? What should they say ? I don ’ t think there can be an easy “ one size fits all ” solution , but I think when we search the Scriptures , we can find some clear answers . The first time we see God as truly “ Father ” is in Exodus 4:22 when He tells Moses to tell Pharoah , “ Israel is my firstborn son .” I think this is profoundly important when we trace the story of Israel , God ’ s firstborn son , in Scripture and see how He Fathered them . From the beginning , Israel was a story of rebellion and redemption . Israel was continuously rebellious in the wilderness , and God allowed them to suffer the consequences of their rebellion , but He always made a way for Israel to come back to Him . We find a great example of this in Exodus 32 when Israel rebelled against God and worshipped the idol of the Golden Calf ; consequently , a plague broke out , but God made a way of atonement by giving them the laws of Leviticus . And again , in Numbers
21 , Israel cursed God , and poisonous snakes bit them , but God had Moses make a bronze serpent to heal them . Here , we find wisdom .
First , I believe that one of the most effective ways to deal with our children who are in sin is always to leave the door open so that they can come back to us if they choose . We love our children , and sometimes , we must love them from afar and wait , like the father in the Prodigal Son story ( Luke 15:20 ). When we make harsh statements like , “ You ’ re not my son ” and “ If you won ’ t change , don ’ t ever come back ,” we close the door on our relationships and don ’ t leave room for reconciliation . When Josh moved out and was living the gay lifestyle , he knew I loved him , and my love was without judgment . However , as God loves us too much to leave us the way we are , so I loved Josh too much not to challenge him to come closer to God and become what God said he was - delivered , whole , and free .
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