Dear Parents,
This week in our Bible Study based on the movie I Can Only Imagine we learned that Bart Millard had a very hard time accepting the fact that his abusive father changed. Bart found it difficult to forgive his father. Your student looked at forgiveness through the lens of Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son. When the younger son took his inheritance and blew it all on hard living, he eventually returned home broken and penitent. The father quickly forgave his younger son, but the older son who stayed at home was not in a mood to forgive. Your student learned that even though God forgave us and commanded us to forgive others, practicing forgiveness is sometimes not that easy. Here are some ways to help your student better understand this lesson on forgiveness.
Next Steps . . .
- Read the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32 and refresh your memory on this powerful teaching.
- Think about your own life and the times you have struggled with forgiving others. Your stories can be a great help in teaching your own children about forgiveness.
- During the lesson, your student heard a quote by theologian Lewis B. Smedes who once said, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” Remind your student of that quote and discuss the freedom that comes when we forgive others.
Thank you for letting your student participate in this Bible Study. Please know I am always available to minister to you and your family.
Haygood Youth Ministry 