Day 20: Matthew 6-9

“When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met him. They came out of the tombs and were so violent that no one could go through that area.” (Matthew 8:28, NLT)

After a busy time of teaching and healing the crowds, Jesus and His disciples went to the other side of a lake and landed on the shore of a cemetery. Two demon-possessed men lived in its tombs. They were so violent that no one traveled through the area.

But Jesus did—on purpose.

When He approached the men, the demons asked Jesus if they could go into a huge herd of pigs. Demons have to inhabit something or someone, so Jesus told them yes. As a result, the pigs ran off the cliff and died.

The townspeople were furious. Jesus got all up in their business—literally. The destruction of these pigs was the destruction of their livelihood. They told Jesus to leave! They didn’t want to have anything to do with Him.

Jesus knew healing these men meant incurring the wrath of the people. But He did it anyway.

As parents, we often have the responsibility of treading on dangerous ground with our teenagers. When they make destructive choices, we must intervene. We want them to be free of harmful choices and their consequences. But sheesh! The results can blow up in our faces.

Sometimes the final outcome of these confrontations is not what we want. Instead, it’s an argument with no agreement, and our kids storm off with hateful words on their heels. And when you’ve been through a few of these, it’s hard to do it again when you know what might be coming.

Because we love them, we do it anyway. And we do it out of love.

Mama, when you face issues head on and get a blowback result, remember there is One Who loves your child more than you ever can. He is with you and will give you the wisdom and strength you need to deal with these difficult situations. Press on!

​-Dianne