I Samuel 15:11 “’I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands.’ And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the Lord all night.”

This passage makes me wonder if God made a mistake in choosing Saul. I know the answer to that. No He didn’t. God is not capable of making mistakes. He is perfect. He is holy. He is just. So what explains the verse? The Lord God tells Samuel that He regrets choosing Saul as king. The word “regret” is also translated as “repent.” The Lord altered His method of dealing with Saul after Saul turned his back on God.

God longs to bless us and see us fulfill His will for our lives. But if we choose to go our own way, He will let us. He will not force His will on us. God’s will for Saul was for him to be a great king and leader. Saul’s ego and self will went against God and because of that, God changed how He dealt with Saul.

This is an important lesson for our kids. We, as Parents, may be forced to show some tough love to our kids because of their disobedience. We do not want to, but in order to shape and mold them we have to use some techniques that would not have been employed if our kids had followed our direction. Their disobedience does not change the fact they are our children, but it does change how we have to deal with them at the time.

Have you ever disobeyed the Lord? Have you ever known exactly what He wanted you to do, but you chose your own path? Have you ever felt the sting of His discipline in your life? He does not love you any less, but He will be just and loving during the whole time of His corrective action in your life.

As you parent your child, let them know exactly what your expectations are and that those expectations are a direct result of God’s Word. They need to know that the guide you are using is God’s guide. He is the One who directs you as well.