What moves you?  Recently, I participated in a Bible study, Children of the Day, by Beth Moore on 1 and 2 Thessalonians.  One of the topics we discussed was all the hardships the apostle Paul faced.  He was stripped, beaten, stoned, severely flogged, imprisoned, and shipwrecked, and he faced death on more than one occasion.  And yet, he continued.  That is what you call determination.  I hate to admit it, but it would have taken just the first stripping to convince me that I had missed God.  He must have meant for me to spend the week on a beach instead.  All kidding aside, don’t we yearn for a calling and purpose so clear in our heart and mind that we would be determined to see it through?

So do our teens.  They desire to know who they are and Whose they are.  They may not always know the right way to go about that discovery, but they want to believe in something greater than themselves and to serve a great purpose.  Your prayers as parents are so important.  Faith is such a funny thing.  The way we develop faith in the Father is by being in a needy, sometimes frightening situation, and then seeing Him walking on the waves in precisely our direction.  Personally, the seasons of my life when I have been shipwrecked, water-logged, freezing, and seemingly alone have produced the deepest rooted, strongest areas of faith in the depths of my being.  Though I often didn’t enjoy the experiences, I wouldn’t trade the lessons I learned about His character for anything.  It was in those moments that my faith became my own.

As parents, we must realize that our children need those same moments.  Moments when waves come and it’s cold, lonely, and sometimes dark.  Only when they have been cold can they appreciate a warm blanket.  Only when they have been hungry can they appreciate a home cooked meal.  And only when they have experienced the uncertainty of a raging sea, can they appreciate a Savior who walks on water—and then faith becomes their own.

Lord, may we so desire to see our children serve You, our husbands winning people for the Kingdom, and the hungry fed and the lost found with such passion that we trust You in the process.  May none of these things move us from our course—determined to see Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.  Lord, make us a pure and spotless bride, ready for her bridegroom—full of spunk, righteousness, boldness, strength, gentleness, and peace.  We love you.

Here are a few scriptures to focus on in the coming days as you pray for your teen’s identity and faith…

Isaiah 50:7 “…Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.”

Genesis 1:27 So God created mankind in his own image in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

I Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Ephesians 4:22-24 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Isaiah 55:11 So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

 I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

My love, 

 

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