Drawing the Line (Genesis 6-7)

Genesis 6-7

"He's out of control!  I don't know what else to do!"  She sobbed as she recounted the drug use of her son, her 25 year old son.  He had struggled with addiction for years.  As a loving single mom, she tried her best to help her son. 

At first, it seemed like whenever he was caught, remorse and regret would overtake him.  He promised that each time he was caught, it would be his last.  But that vow was broken quicker and quicker the further he descended into the darkness of his drug world.  Now he just demanded that his mom just accept that he was going to be like this.  He didn't contribute.  He only took.  And he was taking everything to feed his need.

His two younger brothers were beginning to be affected by his choices.  Why should they work?  Why should they try?  If mom was going to continue to bail them out every single time they made a bad decision, why do anything except what they wanted?

The thought entered her mind of regret.  Regret for not being harsher earlier.  Regret for not standing her ground.  Regret for even having this child whom she loved so much that was becoming such a burden to her and a danger to her family.  Regrets for even having these thoughts and the actions she was about to take.

She packed up the last of her son's things and threw them on the lawn.  Her son drove up, staggered out of the car and read the note attached to the bags thrown unceremoniously on the ground.

Image courtesy of jesadaphorn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I love you.  But I cannot help you anymore.  You don't listen to me.  You don't even care about me or your brothers.  Until you are cleaned up and wish to care about us the way we care for you, you are not welcome in this house. 

I do pray we will see each other again.

Your heartbroken mother

He wailed for an hour.  Pleading, begging to his mom, to his brothers, to let him back in.  No curtains moved though it took all the courage of each of the tear-filled family to remain still. 

After an hour, the pleading turned suddenly to anger and anguish.  He vowed revenge.  He vowed that he would make it in the world and none of his uncaring family would ever receive one bit of help from him in their time of need.  He prayed that hardship and destruction would come upon them and he would laugh when it did. 

His final words were, "I'm leaving and I promise you...I'm NEVER coming back!"  He threw his bags in his car, each one as hard as he could, making as much noise as possible.  He climbed into his seat, slamming the door, turned the key, revved the engine, squealed the tires and disappeared from sight.  True to his word, his family never heard from him again.

Many years later, she received an anonymous letter in the mail with the obituary of her son.  He died from an overdose of heroin in a motel room.  She wept anew for her son, but the years of perspective from the fight she had endured with him, made her realize that kicking him out was the hardest, but most loving thing she could have done for him, her family and even herself.



The heart of this mom is more like the heart of God when it comes to the flood.  The letter was written for the people but only Noah found favor in His eyes.  It isn't that God doesn't love His creation, but much like a distressed mother with seemingly no other options, God too must draw the line someplace.  The flood is a shocking, sad and heartbreaking reminder of what happens to people who cross that line.

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.  So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”  But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.--Genesis 6:5-8