In the past few months I have talked with many parents at conferences who have heavy hearts, because they have a wayward child. Just this past week, I had lunch with a dear lady whose heart is breaking because of a wayward son. It is a very difficult thing for parents, but there are truths a wayward child teaches us.
I was going through a folder of notes I’ve taken at various times and places, and want to share the following list that my Pastor gave in a sermon. These are encouraging thoughts of what we can learn from a prodigal or wayward child.
PRECIOUS TRUTHS A WAYWARD CHILD TEACHES US
1. A wayward child is no surprise to God.
Everyday of our life was written in His book.
2. A wayward child is an opportunity for God to see our response to Him.
He loves to see what a situation produces in us. God orchestrates every event in our life, and He waits to see our response. Where do we turn?
3. A wayward child drives us to pray for what we may think is impossible. (Jeremiah 33:3)
When something seems absolutely inhumanly possible, when it happens, God gets credit.
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4. A wayward child opens to us a situation where only God can encourage us.
David didn’t try to go it alone. In I Samuel 30:6 it says that he encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
5. A wayward child fills us with hope because we can remember that God is never through with us as long as we live.
He’s never through with us; He’s the God of new beginnings.
6. A wayward child reminds us that we have a perfect heavenly Father, when we see our own imperfections mirrored by our children.
Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes... in You and Your Kids
Passionate Parenting: Enjoying the Journey of Parenting TeensSolving A Crisis in Christian Parenting: Why so many prodigals?[(Child Training Tips : What I Wish I Knew When My Children Were Young)] [By (author) Reb Bradley] published on (August, 2014)
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7. A wayward child humbles us as we remember how often we have failed our children, and failed to respond correctly to our heavenly Father.
We expect perfection from our kids to our imperfections, though God perfectly parents us and we respond wrong to him.
I hope these truths will encourage those who have a wayward child to say: I will never give up on you, for God will never give up on me.”
