Good morning…
As our baby turns 20 years old today, our family of six has officially survived the teen years. What have we learned along life’s bumpy way?
- We serve God as we serve our family. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people (Ephesians 6:7, NIV).
- Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all (Proverbs 3:6-7, MSG). We trust God to parent our teens through us.
- We are not designed to parent alone. Then the Lord God said, “I see that it is not good for the man to be alone. I will make the companion he needs, one just right for him” (Genesis 2:18, ERV). As we learn to communicate well with the “just right” companion God has made for us, we will make better decisions for our maturing family.
- Being in longterm relationship is more important than being right in the moment. For what good will it do a person who has gained the whole world but has lost or forfeited his very self? (Luke 9:25, MOUNCE). We each have “lost our very self” at points along the way. That is what forgiveness if for.
- Everyone gets a say, but not everyone gets their way. Pride causes arguments, but those who listen to others are wise (Proverbs 13:10, ERV). We survive the teen years by listening to each other.
- When facing a family challenge, we constructively seek advice from trusted friends, mentors, or counselors. Stupid people always think they are right. Wise people listen to advice (Proverbs 12:15, ERV).
- Parenting teens is humbling. They are trying to learn who they are while we are trying to learn who we are. So be humble under God’s powerful hand. Then he will lift you up when the right time comes (1 Peter 5:6, ERV). Each time we fall, God lifts us up.
- As worries well up, we lay them each down. Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully (1 Peter 5:7, AMP). We are parented by God as we parent our teens.
- With adult eyes wide open, each day we take note of God’s gracious work in the heart of our family. Remember today all the great things the Lord your God has done to teach you. It was you, not your children, who saw those things happen and lived through them. You saw how great he is. You saw how strong he is, and you saw the powerful things he does (Deuteronomy 11:2, ERV).
- As we actively love our teenagers, we are actually loving God. You should love Him, your True God, with all your heart and soul, with every ounce of your strength. Make the things I’m commanding you today part of who you are. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you’re sitting together in your home and when you’re walking together down the road. Make them the last thing you talk about before you go to bed and the first thing you talk about the next morning (Deuteronomy 6:5-7, VOICE).
As a family we have weathered together the teenage years, but I pray that these ten tips continue to help us to love well our young adult kids, each significant other who enters our clan, and any grandkids who might have grandkids in our family’s future.
…Sue…
P.S. Happy 20th birthday to Jeremiah who is spending three weeks of his summer as a volunteer horse wrangler at Frontier Ranch, a Young Life camp in Colorado. In the picture below Jerry is on the left.
