My Terrible Parenting Advice

And he said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house that he may eat bread and drink water.’” But he lied to him. 1 Kings 13:18

During Family Practice Residency, I was licensed to practice medicine, and I had my own panel of patients of all ages. In this capacity, I often found myself giving parenting advice regarding sleep, discipline, and eating issues. I had no kids myself yet at that point, so I had no experience. I was just repeating that which I’d heard others say. Honestly, I now cringe looking back at the counsel I doled out. I had no idea what I was talking about. I meant well, but I hope that God had mercy on anyone who listened to my advice back then. I truly wanted to help, but I was misguided and clueless.

Christians often find themselves in somewhat similar situations, giving or receiving advice that is terribly misguided. Unfortunately, some Christians may feel quite confident in the answers they give, when they don’t actually have any experience or wisdom to share. When I was first trying to get sober, for instance, I got a lot of advice from well-meaning Christians whom I now realize had no clue what they were talking about. Back then though, I was lost and susceptible to anyone who spoke confidently about my addiction. The problem is that there are always those who are confident and mean well, but who remain completely ignorant. Listening to these pretenders, whether they know they are charlatans or not, can have devastating consequences.

Today’s passage tells of one such impostor. In the story, a prophet was sent by God to confront Jeroboam about his idolatry and was commanded not to eat or drink anything until he returned home. On the way home, a second prophet heard about the first prophet’s mission. The second prophet invited the first for dinner, but the first prophet explained that he wasn’t to eat or drink anything until he got home. The second prophet meant well. He just wanted to meet the first prophet. So, he lied, claiming that God told him to offer a meal to the first prophet. The first prophet was convinced and turned back to eat with the second. For his disobedience, the first prophet was killed by a lion a couple of verses later. I doubt that the second prophet intended for the first one to be killed by lions. He wasn’t malicious. Rather, he just didn’t think. He simply used his credentials as a prophet to get what he wanted.

What’s the lesson for me? First, if I’m on the receiving end of advice, I should take advice from those who appear to have had some success in the topic at hand. Second, I must be humble enough to listen, but I must always be shrewd enough to filter that advice through what I know of God’s will. Third, I must always handle any advice I give with humility. I don’t know everything, and I can be wrong. This doesn’t mean I cannot try and help anyone. It just means that I shouldn’t presume to speak with the voice of God, lest, as in residency, I give advice regarding a topic I know nothing about.