Trust?
In the world in which we live it seems very difficult to trust. A young person has a hard time trusting their parents for multiple reasons. Parents struggle with trusting their children. It can be difficult to trust a salesperson and you wonder if they are caring about your needs or just trying to make the sale. Social Media? Some people seem to think if they see it on Facebook, Youtube, etc., it must be trustworthy. I have news for you it is not a good source to trust.
What about the young people of today? Why is it that they have such a hard time trusting their parents? It seems that this is a problem within the church as well as outside the church. And I think a lot of people are wondering why. Our young people should feel that they can trust their parents. There is a lot more trust in us when they are very small but things seem to change as they get older.
Parents
God was the most perfect parent and He still had children that didn’t trust Him. But I do believe that there would be fewer young people leaving the church if they had more godly parents. You might be saying, “Well, the Bible says, ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old he will not depart from it.’ And that is exactly what I am doing.” This sounds good but my question to parents is are you training up your children in the way they should go? Or are we training them like we would a horse or a dog?
I don’t want you to get angry with me or think I am pointing fingers. I am writing this just as guilty as anyone.
My parents taught me all the dos and don’ts. I was a more compliant child so I did what they taught me. I am sure they showed me all the reasons and they felt that the reasons were good enough. But when I left home I was doing the right things but did not have a saving relationship with Jesus. My parents even today would tell you how they wished they would have understood more. But that is what growing in Christ is all about. We don’t have it all together. We grow!
As a parent right now you may be doing all the right things in your life. I am not saying that you are claiming to be perfect but you have the fundamentals of right and wrong down. But I hate to break it to you, that is not going to save us and it will not encourage or teach our children to follow Christ. It may even turn them off. Especially since a lot of us may be trying to get them to do the things we are doing and we are really forcing it on them. They may be compliant but still in a lost condition.
Answers
I have to say here that I don’t have all the answers. And I definitely don’t have it together either. But as I study more and more I see what the answers are and want them in my life. It may seem discouraging and I may wonder if it is too late to rectify the influence that I have been on my children. But I know that I can trust God’s promises.
Reaching our children or anyone around us starts with us. As parents we are missionaries and our home is our first mission field. And what we say doesn’t mean as much as how we live and what we reflect. Who is the one that is the accuser? Who is it that wants to condemn? It is not our loving Savior. Our Savior is compassionate, forgiving, merciful, loving, shows no anger, etc. Even when Peter denied Him He looked at him with love. How do we look and treat our young people when they do not do what we want them to do?
If we are trying to do what is right in our strength we are going to be pointing fingers, getting angry, frustrated, and not showing love and compassion to our children or anyone that does not do what we think they should be doing. When they see us filled with anger and frustration, or a condemning spirit it doesn’t draw them to Christ.
It starts with us
The answer starts with us. We may be doing all the “right” things but they mean nothing if they are done in our strength. When we do things in our strength that is when anger, frustration, no compassion, etc comes in. We have to allow the Lord to have control of our lives and let the Holy Spirit do the work in us. If the changes in our lives are not through the power of the Holy Spirit we are not in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. And we cannot reflect Him to others. Our children will not see Jesus in us and be attracted to a better way of life. When we are doing it in our strength they see such a struggle in us they want no part of it.
Keeping the law
You may be saying, “I keep the law of God! I worship God and don’t take His name in vain and I keep His day holy. And I show my parents honor. I do not kill, steal, commit adultery, bear false witness, or covet.” I hate to break it to you that it is much deeper than this. We may think we are not taking the name of God in vain, using swear words but if we are not reflecting Christ and claiming to be Christians we are taking His name in vain.
And we only have to break one to be breaking them all. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” James 2:10. And Jesus said, “Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” Matthew 5:19. The teaching is done more through our actions than through words. And if any of you are like me, we have failed bitterly.
Prayer
We need to be in much prayer. Praying for the Holy Spirit to fill our lives and to change us. I read once about what a young man had to say about his father and I pray we all can have this said about us by our children as well as others. He said, “Father, I knew you then and I know you now. I have seen such a change in your life will you mentor me?” If we allow the Holy Spirit to take control of our lives our children will see a change in us. As we perfectly reflect Him they will see it.
Dear Father,
You have promised Your Holy Spirit to all who ask. I ask for Your indwelling Spirit to change my life. I pray that everything I do will be through Your power and not my own. And as I allow You to have full control my children will see something better and will be drawn to You. Thank You for working in my life and the lives of my children.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Allow the Holy Spirit to do the work in your life so that your children will not see you but Jesus.
Love you all.
Have you had an experience where you know you allowed the Holy Spirit to work instead of you pulling yourself up by your bootstraps? Can you share how the difference feels?
Note: Life has been a little crazy and changing in my life thus the break from writing but I hope to be getting back on track.
May the Lord continue to bless each one of you.