May 5, 2018

Raising Teenagers

Written by Boyd Bailey

Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – May 5, 2018

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.  Ephesians 6:4

It’s hard not to be exasperated by a teenager and hard not to exasperate a teenager. For those who think they know everything, it seems impossible to tell them anything.Yet, God gives parents teenagers so they can learn laughter, wisdom, forgiveness, trust and the grace of imposing guidelines. After all, the older a teenager becomes the less a parent can control them—and more is their felt need to give them over to the Lord’s accountability.

Indeed, tension arises in the transition from immaturity to maturity. It’s during this avalanche of emotions that someone has to act like the adult. The parent is positioned by the Lord to be this voice of reason, as the transitioning teenager has yet to qualify. So, persistent prayer, patience and pardon go a long way in promoting peace in the home.

“Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him” (Genesis 37:2-3).

Fathers, these passionate pre-adults need your firm and loving leadership as they learn how to manage their freedoms. Mom is the gentle nurturer when they are in grade school, but as they acquire acne you protect your wife from being taken advantage of with your wise and caring leadership. Most of all, remember to be intentional in your relational investment with your young person, as rules without relationship leads to rebellion.

Do you feel taken advantage of, lied to and manipulated? Is so, welcome to the world of hormones hijacking the heart of some self-absorbed teens. On the other hand, thank the Lord for those young people who, because of God’s grace, have grown in character and their care for others. Make sure to give these models of faithfulness positive feedback. It’s easy to only give attention to the troublemakers and take for granted the good kids.

Above all else, pray together as husband and wife for your teenagers to fear God, love Him and obey Christ’s commands. Ask the Lord to fill you with the Holy Spirit, so you can model for them what it means to be a loving disciple of Jesus. Confess your faults to the Lord and your child—and ask for their forgiveness. Teenagers trust transparency. Train and instruct them in worship, Bible study, service, faith, love and grace-based living.

 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, give me grace and patience to lead and love my teenager in a manner he or she feels loved and respected, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Application

How can I model for my teenager trust in the Lord with my decision-making?

Related Reading

Psalm 89:19; Proverbs 23:22;Lamentations 3:26-28; Matthew 18:21-22 Taken from Seeking Daily the Heart of God v.2

Post/Tweet today

Teenagers trust transparency. Train and instruct them in worship, Bible study, service, faith, love and grace based living. #wisdomhunters #raisingteens

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Comments

  1. Vicky says:

    I have been using Wisdom Hunters for years and appreciate the grounded and relavent devotions delivered daily to my email. I love also the link to scripture and a song !!

    I’m looking for this is a teenage version. Content, scripture and songs relevant to teenagers — delivered ina daily subscription via email. Do you have this or have a suggestion?

  2. Gwynne says:

    Dear Vicki,
    Thank you for your kind comments about the Wisdom Hunter’s devotionals . We are so thankful you have been blessed by them over the years and hope you will continue to be blessed by them. We appreciate you taking the time to let us know, too.
    What a great question about teenage devotionals! At present, Wisdom Hunter’s does not have a devotional resource solely for teenagers, but please know I will pass that idea along to the Wisdom Hunter’s staff, especially our writers!
    I only know of two but when I went to the http://www.Christianbooks.com there were many to look over. I would ask your youth minister if he or she has any to recommend.
    The two I know about are “Jesus Calling- the Teen Edition” by Sarah Young which is excellent and Josh McDowell has a book (and I believe daily devotional online) for teens.
    Let me ask our Wisdom Hunter’s staff if they have any recommendations and I will get back to you through email. It may take a day or two, but I will certainly get back to you.
    We are so thankful that you are a fellow wisdom hunter and look forward to talking to you again sometime.
    Keep shining His Light for others to know Him,
    Gwynne
    “Love the Lord your God will all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be put upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
    Deuteronmy 6:5-7


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