Dear Dad - Part 1
Reflective Reading: Deuteronomy 7:9
Recently, a dad wrote to me, expressing his concern and frustrations about his teen daughter’s poor choices and irritating mood swings. Here’s what I wrote to him:
Dear Dad: First, choose your battles wisely. She is a young lady now and needs to be making some of her own decisions, even if they seem to be poor choices. While she is living at home (instead of alone or with peers), this is a safe time for her to learn from poor choices. Often our control of others is evidence of our lack of trust in God. Those we love the most become the idols of our hearts, as shown in our inability to relinquish control.
Your daughter is God’s possession, and you are a caretaker. Often parents desire perfect children so their own images will be exalted. Your daughter is not going to be perfect. You need to celebrate her strengths and praise her as much as possible. In Psalm 103 we learn that God does not deal with us according to our sins. Try to maintain an imbalance of mercy and judgment--God is extremely imbalanced in this regard...1,000 to 4! His mercy is to a thousand generations and his judgment to the third and fourth generations.
Remember also that God’s compassions are new every morning. Make sure yours are likewise. If your daughter doesn’t experience her dad’s compassion and affirmation, she will continue to look to others for what she desperately needs.
In our next blog, I’ll share how this same father can help his daughter deal with the mood swings she’s experiencing!
Recommended Reading:
Basket of Flowers book/audio drama (Ages 12+)
A Peep Behind the Scenes book/audio drama (Ages 12+)
So Shall We Live (Ages 9+)
The Three Weavers (Ages 9+)
