It's never too late

2 Samuel 18:33 The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: "O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!"

I had a good friend of mine, who’s son was a trained hunter and competition trap and skeet shooter. He was competing against grown men as a child. He won all kinds of shooting competitions by the time he was 11. He was a state champion by the time he was a teenager. He was great with a gun and very knowledgeable about them.

When he was 13, he and one of his friends, came into the barn after an afternoon of hunting, as they were we rehashing the game they saw (but didn’t kill), they were cleaning their guns, and one went off. My friend’s son could only watch his best friend slump to the ground with a fatal gunshot wound to the head.

I met my friend, his son and the family at the hospital and just watched. There wasn’t much I could say, or offer. I did pray with them, but I saw two men weep for their sons. One who has lost his in this horrible accident and the other, obviously for the dead young man but also for the pain his son would endure his entire life.

I am sure this was the kind of weeping David did over Absolum’s death. The kind that wished he had done something different. Maybe had I been there, maybe if I had better supervised, maybe, maybe, maybe…. What if David hadn’t indulged his son, what if he’s have been a better parent…. I think David’s desire to swap places with his son, was out of the guilt he felt…and I think that is natural for a parent in this situation.

I also think about the David/Christ correlation again this morning. David would have gladly gone to the grave instead of his son…..no matter the offense, no matter that Absolum was indeed an enemy of David’s…. he would have gladly taken his spot in the tree….where he hung…and died.

I guess the one thing I take away this morning…as a father, is that it’s never too late, until its too late.