Excuses

I know that I have a temper and at times something will happen that pushes my button and I will express myself. I do understand that some people/youth are wired in such a way that it doesn't take too much to push them over the edge and the bomb goes off or fist start swinging or foul language sprays everyone.

One of my kid's cousins just got arrested and placed in J.V. Detention Center for loosing it on a bus. I can imagine the look of the bus driver who is trying to calm down a bad situation. This young eight year old has obviously been told that he has anger problems and that expressing himself is the only way to get it out or deal with it. The problem this time was that the kid brought with him a knife that he had kept in his pocket for moments like this when someone told he to do something he didn't like. I'm sure the driver was taken back by this small kid threatening him with a knife. Obviously the police were called and this ended up with the youth being cuffed and arrested and taken to the Detention center.

As I attempted to talk to two of my teens that had pushed each other's buttons it becomes clear that the culture in which they have been raised has taught them that you can't ever lose a fight or a verbal altercation. Both come out of horrible circumstances where they don't have any dads in the picture and one doesn't have either parent. (The mom is actually deceased.) Just as I think I am making progress with both of these young men they get into a verbal fight inside a McDonalds after church. We had a great worship time and talked about who was our real hero. We had just talked about the fact that might doesn't equal right and that Jesus way to making things right involved humbling himself, being judged and punished for my sin and theirs and then dying the worse death of anyone. Obviously this really hadn't sunk into either of the guys.

I know that the path to change and life transformation is a process that involves years not months. I do know that as I have watched another youth for four years that he has made great progress but still under the wrong circumstances with the wrong youth around him will have an attitude and let forth with profanities. I know that deep down inside I can rationalize my approach which is to more intellectually slice and dice someone. Ultimately as I talked about the Skillet Song Hero I was saying that we all need a hero that is superhuman who can help change our situation. The only hero I know that fits this description is Jesus because He is the Godman who is our redeemer and savior.

I am considering getting permission from their parent/grandmas to talk with their teachers to better understand how they help these guys to control themselves. I know that Jesus used his temper on many occasion to express his righteous anger for the false religion that was around him. I too tire of false expressions of religion that is too much part of the diverse culture in South Phoenix. The only way for this to change is through the genuine expression of living faith. It is easier to go to church, conform to certain practices and put this legalistic framework on others assuming that this is God's path for life.