May the Hearts of the Fathers Turn to Their Children

On June 9 two years ago, a big demonstration against the Amendment of Extradition Bill led to a large-scale protest movement. Today, two years later, some young people involved in the movement are facing lawsuits and some are even sent to jail. Some young people are forced to leave Hong Kong, uncertain of the future. Additionally, many families’ parent-child relationship are torn apart due to this protest movement. Some fathers have stopped communicating and conversing with their children due to their radical words and acts.

How are we to respond to such circumstances? How can parents follow God, when it comes to the breakups between the two generations?

As parents, we were once young too: we should try to understand the thoughts and feelings of young people, and learn to communicate with them. If everyone insists on his own standpoint and refuses to listen to the feelings of the opposite side, communication would be impossible: relationships could not be restored. Recently, I have finished writing the book Homebound! Brothers . In the process of writing this book, I learned that a man can live for dozens of years – and yet still be very self-centered, disregarding other people’s feelings. In order for a man to return home, he must learn to lay down his own feelings and listen to those of the next generation.

Recently we read 2 Samuel 14 during Morning Devotion: regarding David’s grief after his eldest son was killed by another one of his sons (Absalom). Though he later allowed Absalom to return home, he refused to communicate with him. These mistakes upon mistakes in David’s parenting resulted in this son starting a rebellion against him.

David, as a father, should listen to the heartfelt feelings of Absalom, understanding that he was deeply furious about his father’s silence after his dear sister Tamar was raped by his eldest brother. We, as fathers, should not allow ourselves to fall into negative emotions even if we don’t agree with our children’s thoughts or acts. We should communicate with them in love and listen to their feelings, accepting them and teaching them the truth.

Facing the deadlock of two generations being torn apart by the social movement, parents should have grace before truth: neither arguing who is right or wrong, nor blaming them. Instead, we should embrace our children: paying the price and bearing the consequences together.

Dear brothers and sisters, we should also pray with our next generation. May the hearts of the parents turn to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents. I hope that our generation will lead our next generation out of the deep valley, and walk hand-in-hand with them in one heart. Surely the blessing of our Heavenly Father shall come down and transform the land. [2021.06.13]