“My son says he doesn’t believe in God anymore”. Those were the anguished words I heard my friend speak to me just the other day when we were together. He said, “he made that announcement to my wife and me with the proclamation that he no longer needs to go to church either”. My friend’s son is just 17 and only a junior in high school. He went on to tell me that this announcement was really just the tip of the iceberg inside their home because he and his wife had been dealing with a pure rebellion in this young man for close to a year. Moreover, with younger kids still in the home, this situation is beginning to tear his family apart.
How do you respond to someone when they tell you that?
My brothers, I am sure many of you can identify with this very same situation with all the battles that happen as a result. As the father, some of us may get firm, stand our ground in front of our wife and kids, and shout back, “ITS My Way or the Highway!” while others of us may be more fearful and not want to upset the household too much. Therefore we don’t do anything…leaving everyone confused because there aren’t any boundaries coming from Dad…
Does any of this sound familiar to you?
The Bible tells us this in Proverbs:
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6 ESV)
So if we give our kids the correct Christ-like foundation and a home that believes in Him and loves each other, no matter what…then if I understand God correctly, He will take care of the rest?
The answer is a resounding YES.
Guys, I am NOT a parenting expert; I simply speak from experience in my own life when I was a teenager as well as now being the father of 2 sons.
It all starts with love in the home. By building a foundation of love inside your walls and providing for your children in the best way YOU can…then you have laid the foundation for God to work with later on when they are older. You see, the reality of this life is that our children get to make their own choices about their lives…and that includes whom they will serve. As much as you and I may try, we don’t get to make that decision for them. They make it for themselves…your kids and mine. All we can do as parents are to give them the best we have and then it is up to God. He does the heavy lifting.
Now, please don’t misunderstand me about this point, I am NOT saying we walk away from them…OH NO. I am saying that once they reach that age and begin to question everything…we continue to love them, pray for them, and provide guidance as they walk through this valley. That is our job and that is exactly what I told my friend. “Your home is being attacked by the enemy through your son and no matter what happens, you have to stand strong in Christ and work to try and love your kid through this major episode…together”. I encouraged him like I would encourage you with these words:
God is working in your life, even when you don’t see it, even when you can’t feel it, even if it’s not evident.
You are NOT alone on this battlefront. Remember that God is beside you, no matter how many MEAN things our kids say to us…WE STILL TRUST HIM…
Please don’t give up guys…Let me leave you with one of my favorite verses from the Bible in Joshua:
And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15 ESV)
Until next time guys…
