The best thing you can do for your teenager who is rebelling is to keep them in church and never stop praying for them.
The Good News for the teenager struggling with pornography use is that Jesus lived the perfect life that he could never hope to live, died in his place for every wrong thing he has done, and rose again to give him a brand new life with God.
All the control I could ever exert over my children that I think will bring peace and order in my heart and home is nothing compared to the peace that comes from God: the peace that he established in creation, the peace that Christ gave us through the cross, and the peace that the Holy Spirit uses to continually instruct us.
If the gospel really is the good news that Jesus came to save people from their sin, we should help students understand how the entire Bible points to this truth.
Experience the freedom that comes from laying your comparisons at the foot of the cross and instead become captivated with the purpose of knowing Jesus more and pointing your children to him.
Cheers to the tough kids, and to the opportunity we have as ministers of the gospel to show them the ways of Jesus, giving them a place to belong.
The answer then to perfectionism is not working harder but resting in Jesus’ work and worth. Our perfection—our identity and worth—is found in his. Whether or not we or our children achieve certain goals, are honored or noticed for our accomplishments, or perfectly excel at anything are not what gives us value.
