However, his sons did not walk in his ways—they turned toward dishonest profit, took bribes, and perverted justice. ~1 Samuel 8:3
Gentlemen! Start your engines!”1 If you’ve ever been to Indianapolis on Memorial Day, you can still feel the rush of the moment when the announcer says these words to thirty-three anxious drivers. The engines roar, and after the last note of the song “Back Home in Indiana” is sung, until 2019, thousands of helium-filled balloons were released.
At first, the balloons seem to hang together on their journey skyward. But soon the breeze, combined with the varying amounts of helium in each balloon, separates them—just a little at first. Eventually these balloons are vast amounts of space apart.
Most of these brightly colored delights soar higher and higher. A few, however, often have difficulty successfully flying. Instead of sailing upward, they may hover near the treetops. Some will even brush along high-tension electrical wires, exploding with a pathetic pop.
Isn’t it interesting that these balloons from the same launch point, even those filled with the same amount of helium and released at the same moment, could have such diverse results?
Children can be like these balloons. Regardless of a dad’s best efforts, some are the hovering kind rather than the soaring kind. This can be an incredible frustration, especially for parents with more than one child who have experienced different results in each one—the same parents, basically the same external influences, but greatly divergent outcomes.
We don’t know what kind of dad Samuel was. We do know that he grew up in the temple and was exposed to Eli the priest’s rebellious sons. We must assume that he observed Eli’s fathering techniques and tried to learn from his elder’s mistakes. But as we read today, Samuel’s two sons, Joel and Abijah, “did not walk in his ways.” Can you imagine how heartbreaking this must have been for Samuel?
There is a critical message in these verses today. Please pay special attention to them because they may be an encouragement to you or another dad you know. Every child is a free agent. As the dad, you pour everything you can into this child. You make mistakes, and by God’s grace, you also do some things correctly.
But like the balloons on race day, you’ll eventually turn your children loose. Some soar skyward, making their parents proud. Others struggle near the treetops and power lines. The popping sounds spell the deepest levels of grief their parents could ever know.
Parenting is a stewardship. We care for the children God has given us. We do not own them. We cannot control their minds and their hearts. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. We teach them, discipline them, and love them. And then we prayerfully turn them loose. If you or one of your fathering friends is drowning in guilt and pain over their children’s rebellion, this message is for you and for them.
Someday you will completely release your children. What they do with their lives will be completely up to them. Your job, then, will be to pray for them and then trust the Lord to care for them—which, according to God’s promises for you, will be enough.
1 For reasons you understand, in 2017 this announcement was changed to, “Drivers, start your engines.” Then in 2020, it changed again, this time to “Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines.”