Raise Them Right

We read about them in the news.
However, we read about one such man first in God’s Word.
It is the Good Samaritan; the person who steps in and goes the extra mile.
The person who thinks of themselves last in order to help someone else.

Ibn Ali Miller was honored in Atlantic City, New Jersey for being a Good Samaritan.
Miller broke up a street fight between two teenage boys.
He encouraged the boys to talk and shake hands.
What this 26-year-old young man did was caught on camera.

Through social media, that video has literally been seen around the world.
The video got the attention of city council members.
They wanted to honor Miller for what he had done.
Anyone else would have basked in the glory of their 15 minutes of fame; not Ibn Ali Miller.

I want to first give God all the praise and all the recognition.
None of us has any control over anything, not even ourselves.
He rules everything.
Miller has his priorities of gratitude correct.

Through his tears, Ibn Ali Miller then gave the praise to his mother.
He repeatedly thanked her, finding it hard to get through everything he wanted to say.
Miller credited his mother for the way she raised him as he grew up in the projects.
His mother had a unique way of disciplining him.

Whenever Miller did something wrong, his mother made him read books.
His mother also made him write short stories and poems.
As he spoke about his mother, he struggled to get out the words.
His mother approached him as the tears got a hold of him; he hugged and kissed her.

I watched as she wiped his tears away.
I watched as she wiped something from his brow.
I watched as she rubbed his back, encouraging him as he tried to speak.
I watched her, knowing she had a vested interest in the kind of person her son would become.

Miller was shocked that he was receiving this attention.
I’m crying because this situation deeply saddens me; it deeply saddens me.
The fact that this situation is unbelievable…this should be very believable.
This should be the norm; this should be regular.

Miller was simply acting in response to the way he was raised.
He called the two young teenagers to stand with him as he spoke.
The young boys stood next to him.
The young boys listened intently to everything Miller had to say.

These men were going to fight and they decided not to.
They shook hands and displayed unity.
There are adults in our community that have a problem with this issue.
I want to thank the people that raised them to be men of reason, a rare trait in today’s youth.

I was watching mentoring take place.
I was watching discipleship in action.
I was watching one generation teaching the next.
I was watching the ripples in the water extend beyond their banks.

Miller’s mother demonstrated right living by using pretzel sticks.
When we were young, she put pretzel sticks across the kitchen table.
She said, Those pretzel sticks are the right path and the rest of the table is the wrong path.
She said, It is very very difficult to stay on the right path, and we would find that it was.

When you raise children, it is exhausting to stay consistent in your discipline.
On many days, it would be much easier to look the other way in order to have some peace.
Don’t do it; Stay the course as tiring as it may be.
You are molding the character of young men and women.

It takes a lot of hard work to raise a child.
For every two steps up, you feel like you are taking three steps back.
Stick with it!
There will be fruit.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)

Ibn Ali Miller’s mother reaped a harvest.
The harvest is seen in her own son.
The harvest extends to two other young men.
Who knows where the fruit of this harvest will end?

Duty is ours; results are God’s. (John Quincy Adams)

The world will have you believe that success is measured in status, salary, or possessions.
The way the world measures success is empty and unsatisfying.
God measures success much differently.
God measures the heart, the broken and contrite that is before Him.

Worldly living and Kingdom living are diametrically different.
They have opposing worldviews.
We will listen to one worldview or the other.
Only one will lead to life.

Miller listened to his mother, who listened to God as to how she should raise her son.
Kingdom living cannot help but overflow to others.
Miller is right.
What he did should not be unbelievable; it should be the norm.

I hope that this is something that will influence people to do more character building. That’s what these young kids need, they need character building.
Miller is right and like the Samaritan in the parable that Jesus told, he helped.
Ibn Ali Miller did not cross over to the other side of the street; he got involved and helped.

https://www.facebook.com/6abcActionNews/videos/10154526374406378/

2 responses to “Raise Them Right”

1. Thank you so much for sharing this lovely tribute to mothers and to the love of a son. This on the heels of a news story yesterday about feminists wishing that it could be ILLEGAL for mothers to stay home and raise their children because they are depriving the work force of important income.

   But happily, the story went on to say that mothers aren’t paying attention to that foolishness. Praise God for that!

   Reply

   • Jeannine,
     The love and the influence of a mother is invaluable. God designed it that way. Mothers can grow weary day to day because we do not always see the fruit of our labor. God sees. God hears. God knows our struggles and frustrations. Sometimes the fruit is not immediate, but the fruit is there waiting to burst forth if we just do not give up. Praise God.
     Gina

     Reply