Teen's Advice To Parents About Nurturing Spiritual Growth

These are Teen's Advice To Parents About Nurturing Spiritual Growth.

Be involved! 
Talk to your kids about God, and pray with each child specifically about his or her concerns.  Also don't forget to always talk to God about your kids and also bless them during their sleep.

Talk about it!
You must be sensitive with the struggles that your kids are going through, and don't discount it or take it for granted.  You can also relate your experiences as a young person.  When my kids were young, they love (and even urge us) to tell them about our childhood experiences which usually started with "During our early childhood years..."  or "When I was just a young boy/ girl..." You could really see the excitement on their faces as they listen to the story.  Verbally and practically, create a 'safe' environment.

Take time to pray with your teens.
We do this every night, before going to bed, and every morning, at the start of the day.  We pray as we drove to school. This shows that the parent truly cares about what is going on in her or his teen's life.  Encourage them to get involved in Christian groups, and find Christian music they enjoy.  Music really is powerful in affecting an individual, so be sure to plug them in to the good music!

Have a relationship with your teen, and talk openly and often about your faith.
Real relationship means that you really relate with your teen.  You know them deeply and not only knowing what and when they need something.  You let them feel that you really care for them and you are there when they need you especially during hard or crucial moments,  when they have some questions in mind about life that would probably be difficult for them to find the answers.  You could treat them as your friend.

Spend time in God's Word with them.  Pray with them and for them. Open doors of communication by creating a 'safe' environment.  It's like telling them that your teens could approach you anytime of the day and you are there to listen to them and talk with them.  Explain that God does not wait on the edge of His seat for us to make mistakes so He can judge us.  He loves us and wants us to walk in His grace.

Being a parent is a great opportunity of reflecting the image of our loving heavenly Father.  This is one way to disciple them to be Christ-like.

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Relinquish Control to God

Proverbs 16:1-9

"We make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps." (v.9)

When our children were younger, we just have simple plans for their lives, like to simply keep them alive and healthy.

However, as years goes by, our dreams for their lives quickly became bigger.

For example, we would like them to be great leaders, a great athlete, or professional.  We wanted them to have the richest experiences, to achieve academic and professional success, to be deeply loved, to live a life of service, to be a devoted husband or wife and father or mother, and to walk with Jesus Christ all of their days.

But we need to be reminded that, although we may have our lofty hopes and expectations for our children, in terms of future career and all, we need to respect our child's personal desires and goals even if they don't line up with ours.  And more importantly, we need to encourage our children to seek God's agenda for their lives, rather than pressure them to fulfill our agenda. (Proverbs 16:1).

The following insights can be useful to understand how we can align our goals for our children with God's:

• Parents can make plans, but God will determine their children's steps (v.9).
• The most foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest plan we could ever conjure up for our children (1 Corinthians 1:25).
• Children are God's masterpieces - not ours, and they're created for His purposes (Proverbs 1:4; Ephesians 2:10).

Let us commit our children and their plans to God - knowing that He's the only One who can help them truly succeed (Proverbs 16:3).  

Adapted from Our Daily Journey with God (Roxanne Robbins)

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