A guy called Neil Metcalfe hit the headlines this week when he showed genuine love and a great deal of courage in reporting his son to the Police when he found a gun and ammunition in his son's possession.
As a dad myself I know it can't have been easy to do, it would have been easier to turn a blind eye, or quietly dispose of the gun in the local canal. The trouble is, that whilst it might have "fixed" the immediate problem, at what might have seemed a lower personal price, it would not have tackled the wider problem. The gun may have been found and used in a crime - His son would still have been in contact with the supplier of the gun, and may have found himself under pressure to do much worse than simply hide the weapon....the chain of possibilities goes on and on. Putting it bluntly Neil Metcalfe's compassionate and brave action may well have prevented someone being killed. If he'd fallen victim to the trap of taking the easy way out, he may well have unwillingly allowed his son to participate in a chain of events that robbed someone of their life - it would not have felt like the easy way out at that point I'm sure.
As it is his son has been imprisoned for three years, and I guess Neil will feel torn by his actions, and hurt at seeing his son's liberty taken away, due to his actions. At times it's tough being a parent, you have to face situations and make decisions you'd rather not take - but good parents don't duck the issue, real parents act out of love, no matter how hard that decision may be.
I'd like to encourage folks to pray for Neil, his son (Paul) and all who know them at this time - I'm sure they need it. There will be those who will criticise, there will be moments of doubt and hurt, so lets pray that Neil and Paul know God's love, peace and guidance at this time. We need strong fathers, fathers who know how to love their children, even when the price of that love seems impossibly high. Neil, thank you for your courage and compassion.
I'd also like to encourage anyone reading this to pray for parents in general, Neil is not alone in having to make tough decisions about children, at some time or another it happens to all parents. There comes a day - or several days - when a Mum or Dad has to tackle a tough situation, it may not be on the scale of the story above, but nonetheless it can leave the poor parent feeling stressed and distraught. Mum's and Dad's need the wisdom of Solomon, and the patience of several saints, that's the nature of parenting...and so they (we!) need those prayers!
Neil's true story carries with is the echoes of a much older true story, where a loving parent had to allow his son to face the consequences of wrongdoing - the difference in this case being that Jesus wasn't the one on the wrong - He took the punishment on our behalf.
God didn't spare his only Son, He freely allowed him to face the penalty for our wrongdoings, and as a result many lived have been saved. - Father thank you for your Son. Jesus thank you for giving us life through your death on the cross.
