SURRENDER
Step 1: Open Communication
Communication is key as our children get older. The tendency can be to remain private about our relationship with Jesus. Parents can lead by sharing openly and regularly the things they are learning from their time with God and how He is leading them to trust and surrender in specific areas. We can normalize talking and asking about the struggles and triumphs of faith with our children.
Step 2: Provide Growth Opportunities
Northlake is actively trying to offer our students many opportunities each year that let them lay down their responsibilities and be shaped by hearing from God. Parents have a key role to play in encouraging their children to be a part of these events and staying involved enough to have follow up conversations.
Step 3: Encourage Relationship & Accountability
All believers can admit that getting into a rut is easy. We can not sustain a growing faith on emotions and spiritual "highs". There is no substitute for pursuing His presence as a daily discipline. We can actively encourage and challenge our teens to be faithful in this practice. Students should be prompted to talk about what the Lord is teaching them regularly with parents, a discipleship group, or a mentor.
A mature faith is marked by surrender, giving Jesus lordship over every area of our lives. As believers, we are doing this continually and want to walk our teenage children through learning how to do this as well.
Parents, as people continually growing in our faith, we should:
-
Share openly about how we daily submit to God's authority
-
Ask our children regularly about what God is showing them
-
Encourage our children to develop meaningful relationships with mature believers
-
Provide opportunities for them to be intentional about being still and hearing from the Lord