Malachi 4:2,5,6a But unto you who fear My name, shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in His wings, and ye shall go forth and grow up as the calves of the stall. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers... .(KJV)
This section is for parents, obviously. I would hope it would help any parents, but it is especially written for Christian parents. Today our parenting skills are being challenged as never before. There is an urgency to excel at parenting, because if we don't let the Lord teach us, we may lose some of our children by default.
Some of the articles may apply more to parenting younger children, some to teens. This section will take awhile to develop, so please have patience. I am praying much about what I say here, asking the Lord to order it and bring out what He wants in His timing. He knows what's needed, as well as when it's needed.
If you are a parent who has not known what to do, or how to raise God's standard as your child fell prey to drugs, alcohol, or any of the other dangers a teen will encounter, take heart. This is not meant in any way to condemn you. God loves you and your family. Even though your heart aches, know that God is a gracious and merciful Father who will give us wisdom if we but ask with broken, contrite hearts. This section can help strengthen your parenting skills for the rest of your children.
Perhaps you may also learn here the truths your alienated child needs to know, and you can pray that God raise up people to minister to him or her, as well as ask Him how you can begin to take a loving stand for these truths even now. One word of caution - a stand won't work if you aren't obeying God yourself or if you take it for the purpose of changing your child. Also, your stand must not be based on "religion," that is, a system of do's and don'ts. It must be based on heart-felt convictions formed from your relationship with, not just knowledge of our Holy God.
If you are a parent who finds you have done your very best to consistently and lovingly raise a godly standard as the Lord has led you, but your child still became a prodigal, rest in and trust the Lord, and resist the enemy's condemnation. God doesn't condemn you. Remember, your children have choices of their own to make. Once we parents have done our best, it's the Lord's job to get our kids into the fold.
If you have prodigal children for whatever reason, you might want to read some books that can encourage you. Try The Hurting Parent by Margie M. Lewis. It has some excellent points. However, as to how you treat your prodigal, let the Lord guide you. God doesn't always work in the same way. Just be sure whatever road you take, you do it out of genuine love. Let the Lord deal with your attitudes as well as your actions. Another good book is Prodigals and Those Who Love Them by Ruth Bell Graham. (She was a good parent - and she had problems!) In fact, for an excellent portrait of the Billy Graham family, go to my Non-Fiction Book Reviews section and check out Biographies. There are several books about or by the Grahams that helped encourage me about my family.
God bless you in your parenting adventure. I believe He will give our families special wisdom and protection in this day as we're surrounded by evil if we will but continually seek Him. He is a God of grace and hope, and if we look to Him we shall not be ashamed. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture, and He knows how to keep those He has chosen.
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