LEARN.
As our teenagers are growing up, exploring newfound freedoms, navigating the world around them, and wrestling with more significant doubts and questions than they had as kids, they need lots of support, encouragement, biblical accountability, and even some gentle nudges along the way. Obviously, as their parent, you are the primary spiritual leader and support system for your teenager(s), but you may also recognize how critical it is to surround your teen(s) with other adult mentors who can speak into their lives, life choices, social decisions, and spiritual development. By the time your child is a teenager, they already have some adults around them (teachers, administrators, maybe coaches, neighbors, extended family) influencing them in some direction, but not all of these adult influencers are going to speak the same language that you, as their parent, are speaking or when it comes to life and faith. This is why it’s so important for you to connect your teenager(s) with other godly adults who are willing to mentor them and become life-on-life role models—people who are walking alongside them and living out the practical application of faith in daily life. These living examples help to foster a deep understanding of Christian values and encourage your teen(s) to navigate the complexities of the world through the lens of their faith. Teenagers are trying to figure out who they are, how they fit in, and where they can make a difference. Spiritual mentors provide a safe space for them to explore these things and ask questions about their faith and their doubts in meaningful, spiritual conversations without judgment. This month’s Toolbox Resource is a Mentoring Assessment that will equip you with a way to evaluate whether your teen(s) have the godly adult influencers they need to grow deeper in their faith and give you tools/ideas you can use to surround them with influencers that will help them along the way.
WATCH.
One of the main things we all want for our teenagers is for them to build and develop a faith in God that will last for a lifetime. They are being pulled in a lot of different directions with lots of different voices constantly speaking into what they think, how they should act, and who they should become. Their questions, doubts, and fears about themselves, the world, and their faith are bigger and more complex than ever. They need help, support, encouragement, and biblical accountability—and they need it from more than just us. As parents, we have a unique and important opportunity to surround our teenagers with significant adults who can help point them to a God who loves them and wants for them to follow Him. But this window of opportunity isn’t open forever so we can’t waste time. If we can find godly mentors who will lean in, model what it looks like to live a life of faith, and be there for our teens as they sort through the difficult issues of life, our teenagers will be more likely to embrace the faith we are leading them toward. This month’s Online Parenting Class will help you think through how you can best find spiritual mentors for your teens and invite these people into your family circle.
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EXPERIENCE.
