Hi everyone,

Parenting is hard.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s super rewarding, but just sometimes… it’s not. When I hear about things my kids go through in this day and age, it’s different from what I went through and I’m not always sure how to help them through it. When I see what my kids see in the world, it’s a different world from when I was growing up and I’m not sure how to help them navigate. When my kids tell me about what they’re feeling with certain situations, I have to think, already??? I didn’t have these kinds of feelings until years their senior.

So I’ll say it again, parenting is hard.

I remember a tv show I watched years back, I don’t even remember the title of it but it had a lot of fast-talking lawyers. Anyway, one of the lawyers said that he tells his kids, “I’m not your friend, I’m your father.” He was saying this in reference of him being a disciplinarian first, and won’t chill with his kids and shoot the breeze.

And… I don’t know. I think my own dad sort of took that approach. And while I’d admit that I’m a pretty exemplary human being now, I don’t know if it was due to that kind of parenting. My mom was very different. She isn’t that much older than me and my siblings, so it was easier for her to relate, to empathize, and to just sit with us when the you-know-what hit the fan.

I guess what I’m saying is that I’d rather being that kind of parent, like my mom. While I don’t understand everything my kids go through, I can at least sit with them and recognise and acknowledge the feelings that they feel. While I didn’t go through the same exact thing, I went through (and continue to go through) life with all its ups and downs.

Parenting is hard, yes, but so is being a child of a parent. So I guess as that parent, I can only do my best in making it known that I’m doing my best.

These are the readings for next week:
Jeremiah 23:1-6
Psalm 46
Colossians 1:11-20
Luke 23:33-43
And a video of these readings being read:

Next week is Christ the King Sunday. The name is somewhat unfortunate, given the global climate that we’re in now, in that “king” has such a negative connotation to it. But I suppose the definition of “king” can be subjective.

I mean we’re told that kings are authoritative, powerful, and sit on these inaccessible thrones to rule from a distance. Any kind of royalty is seen as so elevated to untouchable levels. We don’t see them as our friends as much as our sovereigns. If we had a king in the traditional sense, that is.

So when we hear Christ is king, we think along those lines. It makes Jesus inaccessible. We feel like he might not understand.

But then we get these readings describing him. We get a picture of what he’s about. We’re told something different. Jesus is a king of suffering. Jesus is a king that is susceptible to what you and I face. Jesus is a king that actually does understand because he’s felt those same feelings. So his reign isn’t one of authoritarian power, but of empathetic humility.

And I can dig that. To have a God that knows, that sees us for us, that can walk with us in all that we go through. And remind us that through it all, we continue to be loved. That’s the kind of sovereign that we all need.

Thanks be to God, that’s the kind that we get!

Have a great week, everyone!