We live in a world broken by sin. We see evidence of it on the news and hear the stories of other people – war, natural disasters, sickness, assault, financial trouble, job loss. It happens around us, but at the same time, we want to believe that kind of brokenness stays “out there.” We can’t imagine that kind of devastation and destruction knocking down the door to our home and our family. Until the day it does.

We can look back and laugh at our naivety of being new parents while experiencing an enormous amount of angst, contemplating how to parent our teens through difficult and challenging circumstances.

One of the most difficult things you may experience as a leader is walking alongside kids and parents who are deeply entrenched in an unexpected storm of life. Whether these situations come with a bit of warning or completely out of the blue, the resulting devastation hits hard. Whenever this happens, you have the opportunity to help anchor families to God’s faithfulness as a constant presence and restorer who turns things meant for evil into something for our good and His glory.

As a youth leader, you know the incredibly weighty issues many teens face today: gender identity, sexual identity, drug use, promiscuity, failing grades, bullies, and the list goes on. Many of these are a parent’s worst nightmare, but chances are you will have at least a few parents whose teenagers are struggling with one of these difficult circumstances. So, how can you support parents going through challenging times with their teens?

What do you do as a Christian parent when your kids want to be on a team? How do you maintain a healthy balance between sports and church involvement?

As Christian parents, we can also help our teens utilize their participation in sports as a way to help them grow in their faith.