Last week, my youngest daughter who is now 16 asked for permission to go to her friend's house for a party. The party is on Saturday night from 7 pm to midnight. She said that it will not clash with Sabbath service.

My first reaction was it is not a good idea as that weekend was our church spiritual convocation and we have services again on Sunday but I kept quiet and did not say anything. I did not reply immediately.

The next morning, she asked me again. I asked her whether she really wanted to go to the party. She said not really but she did not also want to disappoint her friends. I then told her that it is up to her. I said that if she were to go, she will probably be quite stressed about the party and she will probably not be able to focus fully for the spiritual convocation. She went to school and when she came home, she told us that she has told her friends that she will not be joining the party.

I was glad that I trusted her and respected her to make her own decisions. If I had said no, she will probably be unhappy and the next time she might not even ask permission and just go secretly. I was prepared for her to go and I am pretty sure that if she had gone, she would realise that she would rather be in the house of God because it is joyful to be in the house of the Lord.

I was glad when they said to me,
"Let us go into the house of the Lord." (Psalm 122:1)

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