Yes, we took our 12 year old to a rescue mission for her birthday. Why? Because it’s what she wanted.
It was not some grandiose parenting strategy. We’re not battling a materialistic middle schooler, or driving home “how blessed we are to rent a great house.” It was not Scared Straight to jolt her from an iPad induced trance.
It is her dream come true. Years ago we introduced our daughters to the weekly radio broadcast of Unshackled flowing from the Pacific Garden Mission on Chicago’s southside. The broadcast captures dramatized salvation stories that “make you face yourself and think.” Hundreds of episodes flow through our home as the backdrop to almost every activity our daughters do. Homework, crafts, exercise, even falling to sleep listening to that iconic organ and the narration of spiritual transformation. Every episode putting down another layer of gospel clarity. Every episode illustrating the power of Jesus to forgive sin and give hope to repentant people.
Her birthday came on the horizon and without provocation, she asked if we could make the trip from Louisville to Chicago. That my friends, is a parental no-brainer. When a young lady declares that her birthday wish is an all expense paid trip to one of the most powerful gospel lighthouses in the nation, you pack the car and roll north.
So we launched an epic excursion in the midst of snow, freezing temperatures, poor road conditions, homework overflowing, housework not getting done, compounding work at the office, and half the family being sick. Those factors were accounted for, but just as we arrived in Chicago, our brakes & power steering failed and the good folks over at Unshackled called to say the recording time for the day was canceled. Wow. Time to improvise, adapt and overcome.
The result? Two epic days of family time in the car, a glimpse of the Pacific Garden Mission, and a white knuckle drive home. So much went wrong on this trip, but perhaps the journey as a family was more important than the destination. We will never forget the time together, discovering and relying on God’s grace. We will always celebrate the chance to love and care for one another. We will never forget the conversations, the beauty of the land and especially the friends who tracked us down at a roadside restaurant and put hope in discouraged hearts. We will never forget the massive need of the gospel that spans both the wealth and poverty across Chicago.
It was a tight rope walk, a weekend to remember. An adventure, a moment, and now a memory. Till next time…