Experiencing God at Home by Richard Blackaby, Tom Blackaby Page A
Authors: Richard Blackaby, Tom Blackaby
Tags: Family, Christian Life
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successfully navigated with large doses of divine wisdom, patience, and long-term strategies.
Young Adults
As our children mature from teenagers into their twenties, our relationship with them changes once more. Make no mistake; twenty-year-old children still need parents! That’s because several of the most crucial decisions your children will ever make often occur during this period of life. They may decide: whether to earn an advanced degree, whom to marry, and what career to choose. This is certainly not a time for parents to wash their hands and exclaim, “My job is done now; they are adults!” Think of your investment! You spent twenty years guiding and nurturing your children into adulthood. You can’t throw away their future simply because they turned eighteen! A poor choice in marriage partners or unwise career or education decisions can cripple your children and their possibilities for the remainder of their lives.
In parenting young adults, our role can shift from consultant to friend . They are adults now, and if you did your job well, they will share many of your values, passions, and perspectives. They may also hold your religious, political, and economic views. They may approach parenting their own children (your grandchildren) with the same priorities you used on them. They will be fun to spend time with because odds are good they will also share a similar sense of humor (unless you are like us and your children adamantly reject your love of puns!), and they will of course share many family memories with you (either for good or for bad).
The key is for parents to grow with their children. We know great parents of preschoolers who, unfortunately, kept talking to their teenagers like they were preschoolers. Baby talk to a baby can be cute. Baby talk to a sixteen-year-old can be annoying! One of the reasons parenting teenagers can be challenging is not merely because adolescents face greater issues but also because their parents don’t keep up. By the time their children need them to navigate unprecedented challenges and difficulties, their parents are hopelessly out of date and out of touch.
God’s Character Matches the Needs of His People
It is fascinating to observe the progression of God’s revelation to His people, newly freed from slavery in Egypt, as they gradually learned how to be a holy people. God was always involved with His people, first as a Deliverer, then as a Protector, then as a Provider, then as a holy God. By some counts there are more than 650 names of God (Father, Son, Spirit) in the Bible. Each one represents a role God plays with His people. Look at the following names as they relate to the role of parent:
Avenger—1 Thess. 4:6
Advocate—1 John 2:1
Author of Peace—1 Cor. 14:33
Chief Shepherd—1 Pet. 5:4
Comforter—John 14:26
Commander—Isa. 55:4
Consuming Fire—Deut. 4:24; Heb. 12:29
Counselor—Isa. 9:6
Deliverer—Rom. 11:26
Everlasting Father—Isa. 9:6
Fortress—Jer. 16:19
Friend—Matt. 11:19
God Who Sees—Gen. 16:13
Healer—Exod. 15:26
Judge—Isa. 33:22; Acts 10:42
Prince of Peace—Isa. 9:6
Provider—Gen. 22:13–14
Shepherd—Ps. 23:1
Strong Tower—Prov. 18:10
Teacher—John 13:13
Who Is Present—Ezek. 48:35
God played widely divergent roles according to what His people needed. There were times when they needed Him to be a caregiver who provided food and water. On other occasions He protected His people from their enemies, guided them around danger, judged their sin, punished their rebellion, forgave their sin, encouraged them to obey, and much more. There are many similarities between how our Father in heaven treats His children and how we should relate to ours. Pity the children who only have one-dimensional parents!
Your Role
From all the different roles you play as a parent, which do you think is most important? While you might have numerous titles racing through your mind, we’d suggest your greatest role is not even on the
Young Adults
As our children mature from teenagers into their twenties, our relationship with them changes once more. Make no mistake; twenty-year-old children still need parents! That’s because several of the most crucial decisions your children will ever make often occur during this period of life. They may decide: whether to earn an advanced degree, whom to marry, and what career to choose. This is certainly not a time for parents to wash their hands and exclaim, “My job is done now; they are adults!” Think of your investment! You spent twenty years guiding and nurturing your children into adulthood. You can’t throw away their future simply because they turned eighteen! A poor choice in marriage partners or unwise career or education decisions can cripple your children and their possibilities for the remainder of their lives.
In parenting young adults, our role can shift from consultant to friend . They are adults now, and if you did your job well, they will share many of your values, passions, and perspectives. They may also hold your religious, political, and economic views. They may approach parenting their own children (your grandchildren) with the same priorities you used on them. They will be fun to spend time with because odds are good they will also share a similar sense of humor (unless you are like us and your children adamantly reject your love of puns!), and they will of course share many family memories with you (either for good or for bad).
The key is for parents to grow with their children. We know great parents of preschoolers who, unfortunately, kept talking to their teenagers like they were preschoolers. Baby talk to a baby can be cute. Baby talk to a sixteen-year-old can be annoying! One of the reasons parenting teenagers can be challenging is not merely because adolescents face greater issues but also because their parents don’t keep up. By the time their children need them to navigate unprecedented challenges and difficulties, their parents are hopelessly out of date and out of touch.
God’s Character Matches the Needs of His People
It is fascinating to observe the progression of God’s revelation to His people, newly freed from slavery in Egypt, as they gradually learned how to be a holy people. God was always involved with His people, first as a Deliverer, then as a Protector, then as a Provider, then as a holy God. By some counts there are more than 650 names of God (Father, Son, Spirit) in the Bible. Each one represents a role God plays with His people. Look at the following names as they relate to the role of parent:
Avenger—1 Thess. 4:6
Advocate—1 John 2:1
Author of Peace—1 Cor. 14:33
Chief Shepherd—1 Pet. 5:4
Comforter—John 14:26
Commander—Isa. 55:4
Consuming Fire—Deut. 4:24; Heb. 12:29
Counselor—Isa. 9:6
Deliverer—Rom. 11:26
Everlasting Father—Isa. 9:6
Fortress—Jer. 16:19
Friend—Matt. 11:19
God Who Sees—Gen. 16:13
Healer—Exod. 15:26
Judge—Isa. 33:22; Acts 10:42
Prince of Peace—Isa. 9:6
Provider—Gen. 22:13–14
Shepherd—Ps. 23:1
Strong Tower—Prov. 18:10
Teacher—John 13:13
Who Is Present—Ezek. 48:35
God played widely divergent roles according to what His people needed. There were times when they needed Him to be a caregiver who provided food and water. On other occasions He protected His people from their enemies, guided them around danger, judged their sin, punished their rebellion, forgave their sin, encouraged them to obey, and much more. There are many similarities between how our Father in heaven treats His children and how we should relate to ours. Pity the children who only have one-dimensional parents!
Your Role
From all the different roles you play as a parent, which do you think is most important? While you might have numerous titles racing through your mind, we’d suggest your greatest role is not even on the
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