2/28/07

Hebrews 3:12-19
12Take care, brothers and sisters,* that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today’, so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
14For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end. 15As it is said, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.’
16Now who were they who heard and yet were rebellious? Was it not all those who left Egypt under the leadership of Moses? 17But with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who were disobedient? 19So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.
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We are raising a teenager. There should be no question in the mind of the reader as to why I picked this passage. Rebellious, deceitfulness, sin and disobedience are all very strong and harsh words that are contained within the framework of this passage. Either through our own actions as teens or those of our own teenager, all of these words could apply at one time or another during the course of our lives.
It is so easy to focus on the negative; “there are consequences for your actions,” and the like. The words from the passage say, “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” As a parent, I am trying to find the goodness in each day and each action. I try (and am so far succeeding) in keeping the lines of communication open. We are all guilty of sin and our children are no exception. I sometimes struggle with the expectations that my husband and I have for our children. What I do believe in is my faith. I have faith that God will guide us as we guide our children. Sometimes I hear things from my fourteen year old in the context of conversation that I don’t really want to hear. What I have learned is that, I need to listen to all of the stuff that I don’t want to hear—in order to hear the things that I NEED to hear.
I truly believe that praise is the power that keeps one grounded and self aware. Find your children doing what you WANT them to do and praise them for it. Catch them doing something right. Wouldn’t it be great as adults, to have someone do the same for us? Even as adults, we can attempt to find the good in those around us and just mention it. A few words of praise go a very long way.