II Samuel 15:24-26 “24 Now behold, Zadok also came, and all the Levites with him carrying the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar came up until all the people had finished passing from the city. 25 The king said to Zadok, ‘Return the ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the sight of the Lord, then He will bring me back again and show me both it and His habitation. 26 But if He should say thus, ‘I have no delight in you,’ behold, here I am, let Him do to me as seems good to Him.’”

Have you ever wondered why David didn’t deal with Absalom more harshly? Surely David had heard what Absalom had been doing for the past couple of years. I am sure he was aware of Absalom’s motives. But, as any father, he hoped for the best in his son. He was probably praying that the Lord would turn his heart.

But now here David is, fleeing the city. In the above verses we see Zadok bringing the ark of covenant out of the city to follow David. David, however, has too much respect and awe for God’s will to see this done. He has seen how the Lord works and is willing to give up his throne if that is what the Lord wanted. He knew the ark belonged in Jerusalem, not following him who knows where.

Children need to learn to make decisions as they get older, but they also need to learn to accept your decisions without arguing or whining. By teaching them this, we are preparing them to accept the Lord’s decisions for their life. They may never understand this side of eternity why some things happen. But, just like David, they need to learn to trust the hand of God. He’s got this!

Sometimes, your children will have to decide to just “be the wrong one” for the sake of peace and unity. That doesn’t mean they are a doormat or a pushover. It is a sign of humility and grace in their life. We can model that as parents when they see Mom and Dad disagreeing. We should seek to outdo each other in seeking peace. That’s a lesson worth learning. Will you be like David and allow the Lord to redeem you when you’ve been wronged? He knows your heart and your motives.