to God.
(^) You have reason for hope as parents who desire to see your
children have faith. The hope is the power of the gospel. The gospel is
suited to the human condition. The gospel is attractive. God has
already shown great mercy to your children. He has given them a
place of rich privilege. He has placed them in a home where they have
heard his truth. They have seen the transforming power of grace in the
lives of his people. Your prayer and expectation is that the gospel will
overcome their resistance as it has yours.
(^) Most books written about teenagers presume rebellion, or at least
the testing of the limits of parental control. My assumption is the
opposite. My assumption is that you have carried out your parenting
task with integrity and that your children, in the words of Titus 1:9,
“are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.”
(^) If you are disheartened, feeling that your teens are unruly and that
you are already in grave trouble in your relationship, I refer you to
what was said earlier. Turning to God in repentance with your family,
and setting new goals, will, in God’s mercy, bring you to a
reconciliation. Seek God who can make what is crooked, straight.
(^) I have had the joy of seeing families work through times of great
pain and family travail during these teen-age years. God has given
them grace and integrity to seek him during their long night of
suffering and has brought a new day of joy and peace. They can now
labor in God’s Kingdom in solidarity with their once-rebellious
children.
Shepherding the Internalization of the Gospel
(^) Your role during this period is a shepherding role of encouraging
the child and seeking to influence him in the process of internalizing
the gospel.
(^) You have taught your child about God. You have shown him the
character of God. You have proclaimed God’s glory. You have held