It is normal to commend people after they have done a good deed. How about commending people before they do the right thing? It does not sound normal but this is what it takes to parent the little one this season. To make the little one return an item or do something good, we tell him “good boy,………”. Telling the little one he is good while he is making a decision about obeying or disobeying instructions seems to make him do good.
This situation reminds me of Jesus’ miracle recorded in Mark 2:4-5 (KJV) ~
4And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
Perhaps the sin of this man was responsible for his sickness. It may be sin against his own body, generational sin…God knows.
Before addressing the man’s sin, Jesus first called him, “son”. Jesus welcomed the man into the family, poured out his love on him by calling him “son”. Jesus saw the man for who he could be and spoke the man’s son-ship into existence.
Love attends to the reality of who God created every human to be and it changes the soul.
Additional lesson: The loving eyes of Jesus saw faith. The Bible says, “When Jesus saw THEIR faith……….”. He focused on the good thing, the faith of the sick man and his friends. How I love those friends. They did not allow their friend to suffer and settle for less than what was possible for God. They brought their friend to the one who can heal and forgive. These are the kind of friends we all need and I am blessed to have such friends.
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