Coaching To Truth

Posted on Jun 26, 2013 by Wendy

There are days that I wake up and think that I must be in someone else’s home. I went to bed and things were one way, and then I woke up in a different world. As the mother of five children, three of them teens, I am always amazed at how quickly things can change. Last night I tucked in a three year old, and this morning he was driving! Yesterday, I knew more than Google (because it did not exist), but today Google has a million brains to my one. I recently read that today we take in more information in four hours than a person did during an entire lifetime in the 17^th century. As parents, it is no wonder that we occasionally feel overwhelmed by the issues facing our teens.

Years ago I attended a conference in which the speaker shared a story about a family that lived in a communist country where, during the Cold War, Christians were persecuted for their faith. She explained that every day the children in the family were required to go to school and learn the philosophies of the government, and every night the parents would discuss with their children what they had been taught. They would measure each idea against the standards of the Bible and help their kids understand that absolute truth can exist in a world of deception. Their children were able to exist in two universes but understand that only one had truth!

Today, as parents, we contend with many of the same issues. However, in some ways, our battle is harder. Since we are not persecuted for our faith, we sometimes forget its worth. When we forget the value of our faith, it is easy to miss the attack. But Satan is intentionally fighting for your teen. The world that our children encounter each day encroaches on them from every angle…even in our homes. Beautiful deception entices them to taste and see. Ear buds fill their ears and media floods their eyes. Their view of the world is being shaped by hundreds of voices, and many of those voices are claiming a very different message than you are.

So, as parents, how can we coach our children find absolute Truth? The answer is found by looking at the way Jesus trained his disciples. When Jesus chose His disciples, many scholars believe that the majority of them were teens. Much like now, in their culture, truth about God was distorted. How did Jesus teach his disciples to find God’s truth in the midst of the lies? The Bible tells us that He walked beside them and coached them. When thousands of people begged for His attention, Jesus often pulled away to teach just a few. Like the disciples, our teens need a coach, and God gave you that title when He made you a parent! So, when it comes to your kids, is your voice loud enough and are you saying what needs to be said? When was the last time you took the opportunity to coach your teen?

If you are not sure where to start, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do my teens trust me? (You can’t coach them if they don’t trust you.)
2. Have I connected with their hearts and shown interest in their passions?
3. Do I listen to them as much as I expect them to listen to me?
4. If my boss treated me like I treat my teen, how would I react?
5. Have I asked God for wisdom in parenting my teen?

Remember:

1. My teens are facing things that I probably never dreamed about.
2. The battlefield feels foreign, but the battle is the same.
3. Jesus NEVER changes, and I can lean on Him (Hebrews 13:6-8).

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for trusting me to coach my children. Please, give me the eyes to see their battles and the wisdom to know how to coach them so that they can withstand the fight. Help me to live a life of example that points my children to you. – Amen.

Photograph from www.Morguefile.com