Never in My Wildest Dreams...

He’s a good kid.

She was raised to know the Lord.

How could he make this choice? How could she do this thing?

Confusing isn’t it? 

We think we have protected our kids from evil, wrong thinking, and immoral behavior because we raised them with faith and family values. 

A guaranteed good and godly outcome is to be expected. "I did my part, now God you do yours."  

Why do good kids engage in, “sex, drugs, and rock and roll”?

Perhaps we ask the wrong question.

Do I think my tween, teen, or young adult should have a better outcome than the first two people who walked and talked with our Heavenly Father in the Garden of Eden?

Life is filled with the unexpected. 

The only expected things are taxes, death, and… sin.

Sin is a sure thing.

It is hard and hurtful when we  train up our children in the way they should go…and they go the other way.  Many faithful Christ-follower parents have shared their heartache with me. And I’ve had my portion of painful parenting times. 

We share the feeling of deep loss and  painful surprise. “Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought my child would…” is a line we  speak.

The prodigal-type list is long but these four groups encapsulate most of the issues: Good Kids raised by good parents who are drug addicts, unbelievers (even atheists), sexually active (even promiscuous), and alcohol abusers (or are even alcoholics).

What do we do if we have a prodigal under our roof? 

We follow the example from the Garden.

 Like God:

• We maintain a relationship with our kids.
• We continue to warn our kids regarding what to avoid.
• We talk with our kids by asking questions when they partake in the forbidden fruit. 
• We ask questions rather than accuse.
• We protect our kids after the issue has been disclosed. ( God removed Adam and Eve from the Garden for their own protection. ) 
• We still sacrifice for them.  (The first sacrifice clothed Adam and Eve.)
• We continue to be a part of their lives. (God knew their kids, Cain and Abel)
• We are just and merciful. 
• We show grace and speak truth.
• We do all this with humility because sin is a sure thing. 

Keep talking. Keep protecting.  Keep praying.

In the midst of the unexpected, keep loving with the knowledge that sin is in our blood. But…forgiveness is in His! 

If you liked this post you may want to read one of my most popular posts:  Never Give Up.

Love bears all things.

1 Corinthians 13:7a
ESV 

with faith, hope, and love,

Lori

Please join me, Becky Danielson, and members of the 1 Corinthians 13 Parenting Team for the HeartCORe Parenting Conference on May 9th in Denver Colorado. 

Click here for details. 

You may be asking, why should I come to the HeartCORe Parenting Conference? 

Because we address the things you care about! The CORe concerns of a Christian parent are: faith, relationships, and education. Whether you are single or married parent  join us for fellowship, fun, and family focused sessions on May 9th from 8:30-2:30 at Calvary Church in Englewood. Come to the HeartCORe Parenting Conference and make faith come alive in your home with Kirk Weaver, gain skills to increase your student’s learning with Becky Danielson, discover how to have a resilient marriage with Pete Larson, learn how to build a strong single parent family with Misty Honnold, find out how to cure your toddler to young person’s listentingitis with Lori Wildenberg. The cost is $60 for couple, $50 for individual. Register before  April 26th and get $15.00 off!

 Go to: http://englewood.thecalvary.org/  to register. And Child Care is FREE!