Loving thyself bible study for teens12/31/2023 ![]() They need our help to see that every choice, every action is an investment and that it is impossible to live life without planting seeds that will be the plants of life they will someday harvest. Our teenagers need us to be on site, teaching them to look at the long view of life, not with harsh condemnation and frustration, but with empathy and forbearance. We must lovingly challenge their belief that this physical moment is all that matters. Teenagers tend to live for whatever they want in the moment, and they tend to put off their responsibilities until the very last minute. Teens lack a long-term investment perspective. “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20 Your goal should be to ask probing questions that help the teen to examine their thoughts, desires, motives, choices, and behaviors concerning friendship. Never resort to name-calling and character assassination. We need to approach these conversations with sensitivity and patient love. ![]() Yet teenagers tend to be prickly and protective when it comes to discussions of their friends. There is a great deal of material in Proverbs about friendship and the influence that others have on you and your behavior. Teens make unwise choices in their companions. “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1) If you hit teens with a barrage of verbal bullets, they will either run for the bunker or come out firing themselves. You don’t do this with nasty, inflammatory confrontations. It’s frustrating, yes, but I have watched far too many adults make correction bitter as they beat their teen with demeaning words. Most teens think they are wiser than they actually are, and they believe their parents (and all adults, for that matter) have little practical insight to offer. Teens don’t hunger for wisdom and correction. Here are just three things for you to consider as you raise and interact with the teens that God has placed in your life (I’ll talk about more in the livestream): So what does the Bible say about teenagers? Well … nothing! However, the Bible gives us excellent descriptions of the tendencies of youth. You know parents with teenagers who need help, and God has also placed teens in your life who need wisdom and love! Even if you don’t have a teen now or coming in the future, I would encourage you to tune in. This weekend in Raleigh at my annual parenting livestream, I’m going to spend a full session on how we can more effectively love, parent, and influence our teens. ![]() It’s a tough season of life for all involved, but moms and dads–and the Christian community as a whole, for that matter–need to reject the dread and cynicism that accompany this stage of life. Unsurprisingly, they will produce tumult and stress in the home that younger children won’t. (I remember spilling soda on myself at McDonald’s in front of three girls, and I genuinely wanted to die right then and there!)īeing a teen is scary, awkward, and volatile. Attempting to act cool but looking like a fool. ![]() Doing whatever it took to gain peer acceptance. Do you remember what it was like to be a teenager?
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