"One of the least of these...."

We have been talking a lot about families and how as parents we can and should be making an eternal difference in our children's lives, but today I want to talk about those children who are not related by blood or marriage. Those children who are friends of our children. We have an opportunity to make a difference in the friends of our children. One way or the other, in a positive or a negative way, we will make a difference. How do we treat the friends of our children? Are they welcome in your home? Do they see a Godly father or mother who they would like to model after?

I was blessed to have such a couple in my life when I needed them most. My parents divorced when I was in 7th grade, back when divorce was uncommon. I was one of the few kids in my class in school whose parents were divorcing. I lived in a small town where everyone knew everyone. There was nowhere to hide. My father was an alcoholic.My brother and sister and myself lived with our mother after the divorce. Mom had to travel a lot to make a living and we were left alone quite often because of those circumstances.

My best friend would invite me to stay over at their house. His parents knew what was going on in my family. They always welcomed me in their home and made me feel special. His mom, Sue, fixed us breakfast in the mornings after a stay over. His dad, Wayne, would engage me in conversation, we would talk about baseball and he would kid around with me. They would take vacations to Minnesota every summer to go fishing. They began to invite me. I told them that I couldn't afford to go with them, but they wouldn't take no for a answer and they never let me pay for a thing. As I spent more and more time with them over the years, I learned about character and integrity and the model of a Godly marriage. I also learned about unselfish giving. I could tell that they actually cared about me. Not just because I was their son's best friend, but because they actually "cared" about "me". But it wasn't just me. Wayne cared about people. He owned a plumbing and heating shop in this small town. I remember my best friend telling me that he couldn't remember a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day when his dad actually got to spend the entire time with the family. Why? Because every year Wayne would get a call at home from a customer, neighbor or friend in need. Their heater was broken and they were without heat in the cold Iowa winter or, their sump pump was broken and their basement was filling with water, or their sewer was backed up or their pipes were frozen, etc. Wayne could have told them no, but he never did. He knew he had to help a brother in need. It wasn't business to him at that point, it was just his character. I figured out that's what he was doing for me. He knew I needed a father figure in my life. It was just who he was and I will be eternally grateful for that time in my life when both Wayne and Sue were there for me.

Wayne passed away in December of 2010. I found out about his death around 9pm the night before the funeral. Unfortunately it was an 9 1/2 hour drive away. I sat on the couch saddened by his death and even more saddened that I would miss his funeral. But I thought about what Wayne had meant to me, and I also thought, "what would Wayne do?" So, just like he would head out in the middle of the night to help a friend in need, I packed a small overnight bag, grabbed my suit, kissed Monica goodbye and left for Iowa. I got to a hotel in northern Missouri at 3am, had to get up by 5am to be able to make it to the funeral by 10am. I made it just in time to attend the funeral with my sister. I was able to spend some time with my best friend. We cried and we laughed and he and Sue were very glad I was able to make it. I left at 2:30pm and was back in Tulsa by 11:30pm that night. It was a very small sacrifice, for everything Wayne had done for me and what he meant to me. I would make that drive again without question.

So let me ask you, what do your children's friends think about you? What kind of role model are you to them? Do you know what their family life is like? Do you "care" about them?

Matthew 25:45 "Then He will answer them, "I assure you: Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me either."


 Terry Langenberg
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