God planted the seed for Glass House Ministries in both my husband’s heart and mine after long-time family friends called to ask for prayer. One of their young adult children was in a predicament that would have serious repercussions for their whole family. Our hearts broke along with theirs. This dear couple was there for us without fail when we weathered the storms of life with both our boys, and we intended to be there for them in this circumstance.

When we faced the challenges with our sons, we received two types of responses from the body of Christ. There were Christian brothers and sisters of the through-thick-and-thin variety. These fellow-parents rallied around us, supported us in prayer, and encouraged us as we struggled to find our way through the wilderness. They loved us warts and all, and they went out of their way to be sure we knew it. They spoke truth in love when we needed to hear it, and they shared their own shortcomings and prayer needs, as well.

Then there was the other variety of Christian brothers and sisters, equally well-meaning, but infinitely less comforting. These were mostly parents of the expert variety. They embraced parenting strategies that had not yet failed. I was never sure if that was because the strategies were truly excellent, or because their children were simply not allowed to exercise their free will. At any rate, these Christian brothers and sisters were largely of the opinion that our family was experiencing the deserved consequences of poor parenting choices. They prayed earnestly for us, and they made sure to keep their children safely separated from ours.

I would be nothing more than a hypocrite if I did not admit to you here and now that I had no legitimate reason to be angry with or hurt by my Christian brothers and sisters of the expert variety, for at one time I myself was a card-carrying rank and file member of the EPU (Expert Parents Union.) When our four children were all under the age of ten, we knew a couple in our church who had teens struggling with drug problems. (In fact, it was from this very couple that we first heard about the ministry of Teen Challenge, a full fifteen years before we would ever need to call them.) We loved this family, and we prayed diligently for them. Yet in our naiveté, we were also certain that if we did everything just right, our children would be spared similar problems when they reached that age.

Notice I said I had no “legitimate” reason to be hurt or angry. However, it still took a good, long while to work through the hurt and anger I held in my heart towards those expert parents, before I finally realized that I was simply a few steps farther along the parenting road than those brothers and sisters who had unwittingly caused us such pain. Now I pray for these Christian brothers and sisters, for like myself, they are sure to have their own wake-up call from God one day. Their call may look nothing like mine, but there will be a call; for God loves His kids, and He is committed to stretching and molding each one of us into His image, that we may share His love with others.  

It was along this journey that my husband and I repented for hurts we ourselves had inevitably caused others through self-righteousness, repented of attitudes that were steeped in legalism, and learned to minister truth in love. We must never forget God’s laws, but if they are served without grace, they can do more harm than good. There are no perfect families, no perfect parents, no perfect children… We all live in glass houses. We can either embrace a transparency of life that allows us to effectively minister the love of God to others, Christian and non-Christian alike, or we can throw stones that cause destruction. We expect those who are not professing Christians to throw stones at us, and we are genuinely surprised if they don't; but when those stones come from within the body of Christ itself, the damage can be fatal to a Christian’s faith.

As my husband and I continue in prayer for our friends, we hurt for them too. We know only too well what it is like to raise kids in a Christian household and have them do things we could never expect. It is through this spirit of empathy that the idea for Glass House Ministries was born. If you have any thoughts regarding Glass House Ministries, please take a moment to note them in my guestbook, or feel free to contact me at cheri@cherihardaway.com.

God bless you,

Cheri

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