Road Signs: Caution (Weeks 3 & 4)

Your direction, not your intentions, determine your destination.

Your attention influences your direction

For a High School student, this doesn't sink in until they've already headed down the wrong path. It's our responsibility as parents to help our kids see which path they should take. Even if they don't take it... we have the challenge of helping them navigate their path. 

1. We’re Teaching This

What you put your attention on, has tremendous influence on what direction you go. That's why time reading your Bible, praying, going to church/youth group, and seeing every relationship as an opportunity to point someone to Christ is so important. It may not reap immediate benefits, but by giving those things your attention, you will be better prepared to make tough decisions when you come to them.

2. Think About This

If you are going on a trip, 20 years ago, you would have pulled out a map of the place you were going and you would have marked key places you wanted to go. At my daughter's elementary school, the 6th grade class would go to San Francisco. They had to mark, on a map, the places they wanted to go and what buses or public transportation they needed to take to get there. There's something to be said about preparing to make decisions before you have to make decisions. It's a huge stress relief when you know where you are going and how to get there. 

But in real life situations, we just find ourselves at a point of having to make a decision... so how do we help our kids see the value of spending time with God, in His Word, praying, and being the Gospel in our relationships?

3. Try This

Step 1: MODEL

• What do you give your "attention" to? Are you spending time in God's Word, praying, living our the Gospel in your relationships? 

Step 2: ENCOURAGE

• Each month, we have a new series. And with each series, we have a Bible Study book that goes along with the series. Encourage your teens to grab one of the booklets and ask them what they are learning in their time with God through the Bible Study.
• Ask your teens for things in their lives (or people they know) that needs prayer. Commit to praying for them for the week. Even take time to pray with them for those things.

Step 3: LISTEN

• Listen to their stories. Find out how their day went ( I know this can be like "pulling teeth through the arm-pit"). Look for teachable moments... not to preach at them, but to find out what they are thinking and learning through their experiences. You may even want to document what you hear from them, so that down the road, you can remember what to pray for them, for; and you can show them how God is working in their lives over the years.

NEW SERIES STARTS THIS SUNDAY! GAME ON (A STUDY OF DANIEL)