One of the saddest parenting stories in the Bible is the one about Eli the priest in 1 Samuel 2. The Bible says his sons were scoundrels. They were greedy and immoral. What did Eli do? He talked to them. God judged Eli for not using his authority to restrain these guys. Now, we’ve all seen situations when parents feared their kids so much that they never did anything to actually parent them. Remember: it’s in a child’s job description to oppose our authority at times, and some kids will do this more than others. But it’s in our job description to courageously take a stand and lovingly insist on obedience. God will reward your parental initiative. What’s at stake? Potentially your child’s eternity. Be strong.

Suggested Reading: 1 Samuel 2:12-36,, Proverbs 13:24