There was something in Jackson's nature that was bent toward being destructive. It wasn't true all the time, but it would show up in at times and surprise me. Most of the time, his destructive actions happened when we were outside and the recipient was a section of tree bark or a flower or some path-lining plant. I remember discussion after discussion with him about not being destructive. It seemed so contrary to God's character and therefore not a characteristic I wanted to encourage in our son.
Today I see some error in my thinking. I've been reading through Jeremiah in the Bible and the book is full of destruction. A "therefore" started clicking: God is holy and all that He does is holy. God brings destruction of what's evil. Therefore it can be holy to destroy what is evil. And that's when the William Wilberforce ghost started flying through my thoughts again (this is the second time in two days! - see article in the National Review about Eric Metaxas). Wilberforce committed his life to the destruction of the evil of slavery.
So go ahead, Jackson - build up that part of you that's bent toward destruction. Just promise me you'll let the Holy Spirit channel it. Maybe you and I will be a part of destroying something in our culture that's inherently evil.
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