Parent Life

--And You're the Thing!
from 99 Thoughts for Parents of Teenagers by Walt Mueller

I once thought I knew quite a bit about raising children. Then I had them, and the older they grew, the less I realized I knew. You know what else I learned? That sometimes the place God wants us is in total dependance on him. That's the place where we need to pray for more answers--answers to our questions about raising and relating to our teenagers. The Apostle Paul's words became more and more real to me though times of struggle I've faced as a parent:

    "Don't worry about anything;
    instead, pray about everything.
    Tell God what you need,
    and thank him for all he has done"

    -Philippians 4:6

Prayer is a wonderful gift God has given to us as we learn to depend on him and his power to keep us on track as dads and moms. And when we pray, we don't change God or his mind. Rather, the beauty of prayer is the change it brings in us!