1 Samuel 13:4 (NKJV)
“Now all Israel heard it said that Saul had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel had also become an abomination to the Philistines. And the people were called together to Saul at Gilgal.”

To be a father (or mother) is not a joke. It requires great skill and commitment. It demands great sacrifice and risk. Too many people have become parents before they were ready to take on the challenge of parenting. Whether physical or biological, parenting needs special grace.

There are many things to discuss on parenting, but we will only focus on a few things today, the first of which is that a parent enters into the child’s battles. A true father or mother never stands aside when the child is fighting. Love compels the parent to get involved. A parent must take risks for the child. That’s just the way it is.

This may sound biased, but parents are called to be biased. Until a child is proven guilty, the parent stands on the child’s side. He cannot stand in the middle, waiting for a verdict. Even when the child is found guilty, the parent never abandons the child. Every child wants to know that his dad or mum is standing in his corner at all times.

Even when your child is wrong, the parent is called to confront and correct the child without losing the relationship. This needs to be done with skill and wisdom. On no occasion can you take the other party’s side. You must always stand in your child’s corner.

When your child starts something (good or bad), it will also rub off on you as a parent. You cannot escape the umbilical cord that binds you together. This is the hard part of parenting. Once you are in, you are in. Your emotions, finances, connections, reputation, etc – are all in. Are you ready for this level of physical, emotional, and spiritual parenting?

All Israel heard that Saul had attacked the Philistines, but it wasn’t Saul who attacked the Philistines; it was Jonathan. Yet, Saul had to jump into the fight. He didn’t start it but was fully committed to it because his son started it. That’s parenting at work.

Jesus is our perfect model. He not only died for us when we were sinners, He stands with us always, and at all times, irrespective of where we are. May we parent, the Jesus way. Amen.