Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (1 Peter 5:8 KJV)
There’s an unseen battle working against our teenager’s heart and mind. When things seem “quiet,” we may assume our teen is fine, but quite often, they’re not. The devil is not going to let up, he wants to destroy them.
The fact is our teens can’t fight this battle on their own. That’s why teens need us as parents to fight for their hearts and minds, and be a source of strength, to face the battle with them, working to instill Biblical values in their hearts. We should never give up on being able to help them.
I truly believe that we can have fulfilling relationships with our teens, even the troubled ones. But it takes patience and love and forgiveness. Over the years, God has helped me develop the patience to understand their perspectives and listen without casting judgment. He has shown me how to love, yet still hold them accountable. He has shown me how to forgive without enabling them to sin. But most of all He has helped me when I was weak to be courageous enough to face the difficult times and to help my child in the unseen battle, even when the battle seemed so hard.
God has been my rock and my guiding light through it all. I am so grateful to Him. There is NO way that I could do this without Him.
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