FOR THE KIDS

2 Samuel 13:1-39; John 17:1-26; Psalm 119:81-96; Proverbs 16:6-7

“And King David, now reconciled to Amnon’s death, longed to be reunited with his son Absalom.”

“I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.”

“I am yours; rescue me!”

“Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin. By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil.”

David’s love for his son Absalom defies easy explanation. Absalom killed his own brother; stole David’s throne; and slept with all his father’s concubines, signifying ultimate humiliation of the king. Even when David in his humanness could not bring himself to actually see Absalom, his soul continued to love his boy. He endured all the treachery and betrayal to keep the hope of reconciliation alive. After all he’d been through, finally, it is here in the twilight of his life that David truly proved himself “a man after God’s own heart.” He never stopped loving Absalom, straight through the moment of death and beyond, despite the younger man’s traitorous heart.

How like Jesus David turned out to be! Christ endured even greater pain and greater humiliation, but like David, still never lost sight of his love for his children. Moreover, it was that love which motivated every one of the Lord’s decisions and actions throughout His life. Wherever life took Him, whatever bad hand it dealt Him, Jesus’ philosophy and perspective remained exactly the same: it’s for the kids.

These two men shared a desire for their children’s blessing and growth which took precedence over all other concerns, including those David and Jesus justifiably had for themselves. Their unfailing love and faithfulness to their children made the children’s disloyalty in response all the more heinous, and yet, the love continued. Neither was a “fair weather father.” Through good and bad, in fellowship or alienation, the example of love David and Christ gave their children should continue to inspire us today.

I have been quite blessed to know many people from whom I have learned to love just by watching them in action with their kids. My sister-in-law’s family, my brother, and of course, my father-in-law (as told previously) all set a standard I can only hope to approximate some day. I pray God’s continued blessing on their examples frequently. But this weekend, I had the enormous privilege of attending the memorial service for the maternal grandmother of a family we have known for over twenty years. The ceremony itself was sweet, but it was the start of the service that touched me most deeply. The whole family – dozens of them, now! – marched in together for a celebration, not mourning, of the gift of life and love the grandmother left behind. In their unity, I was awestruck anew by how our friends’ example of undying commitment and sacrifice to their kids had bound no less than three generations into an unbreakable witness to the redeeming power of love. For, you see, both parents came from less than happy childhoods and fairly broken homes. They could have chosen a life of sarcasm, self-centeredness and bitterness, and no one could have blamed either of them. However, they choose instead to grab hold of the hand of Christ, and He has never let them or any of their children or grandchildren go. In fact, He expanded their marvelous sharing of His love by including an adopted daughter into their expanding circle.

There’s a lot about love I don’t understand. But I am beginning to understand some things. Love is best when it’s for others, and no matter the cost. We all have people we can mentor, sacrifice for, build up and love. Everyone sets an example for someone. Let’s us make sure to leave behind a good example of loving others into our family of Christ. If anyone asks why we make family such a priority, we’ll give them a simple answer: “It’s for the kids.” Because when we get to heaven and ask Jesus why He did what He did, we know He’ll say, “It was for you, my child!”