Monday, November 9, 2009

Parents Are Smarter Than You Think

Most of the teens I know think their parents don't have a clue. Just last night my own son told me that I don't have any idea what's going on with teens these days or why it is so important (a matter of life and death) that he have a cell phone!

I would like to suggest to you that once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, your parents were teenagers, too. While you have "so much" on your plate, they had as much, if not more, on theirs. The stress you feel from having to deal with your problems, your friends' issues, and the demands of daily living is no different than what we dealt with as teenagers. The sources of stress may be different, but trust me -- we had our share of stress and issues, too. Friends still talked about us behind our backs and made us feel lower than dirt by calling us fat, ugly, or stupid, often to our face. There were family problems like divorce, substance abuse, and physical/emotional abuse. We didn't always get everything we wanted, even though the Joneses did. Life wasn't fair then either.

The big difference, though, is that our parents didn't allow us to sit around and gripe all the time. We were made to appreciate the fact that we had it better than most. They helped us learn the value of hard work by requiring us to do chores that today's teens somehow manage to avoid. We had not only homework after school, but chores to do as well. And you know what? We still had plenty of time to play and hang out with friends. When we behaved badly, our parents disciplined us with a sound spanking or an extra helping of chores, not by taking away our cell phones for a day or two. If we griped or fussed too much, our parents made sure we had a good reason to cry. Our parents were a whole lot tougher on us than today's parents are on your generation.

If you have a godly parent who seems a little too hard on you at times, give thanks for him or her. "Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God's training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God's holy best. At the time, discipline isn't much fun. It always feels like it's going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it's the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God" (Hebrews 12:7-11, The Message).

Just remember, your parents are not the enemy. Satan is. Your parents are not against you; they are for you, even as your heavenly Father is.

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