Lessons learned

Once in a while, a parent gets a sign that lets you know that it's working. Here's one:

The other night, CJ had a meeting. It was specifically for a group of kids going on a short mission trip (suburban teens working in urban relief ministries) in a few weeks.

I dropped her off at the appointed time, and went to run a few errands. When I got back to pick her up, they were still talking. Not unusual; this group often runs over by a few minutes. So I waited as they finished up the last portion of their time together, as they usually do, with a Bible study.

This time they were talking about the story of the Good Samaritan. Their youth leader was trying to impress upon them the contrast that Jesus was using in this parable, looking for a modern equivalent to trigger the disdain and mistrust that the Jewish hearers at the time would have felt at a Samaritan being held up as a better example than the religious leadership who passed the injured man by.

He groped for an image that might express Jesus' point to these modern day, middle class teens-- that all people are created in the image of God, that each one of us is neighbor to the other, that we wrong one another when we judge too quickly. The Samaritan, he suggested, might be like a prostitute... or a South Side gang banger...

Then, off to the left, a quiet voice suggested, "...or an Iraqi?" And there was silence, even among the adults, as that reality sunk in.

Yep. My daughter.