Teen Years: Age of Opportunity or
Season for Survival?

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, I am starting a new series based on Paul Tripp’s book Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens. I will be summarizing key thoughts and hopefully encourage you in your role as a parent of one or more teenagers. I highly recommend this book and trust that my brief summaries will make you want to read it for yourself.

Struggles of Parents
Parenting teenagers can be hard on us parents too because they can bring out the worst in us. We hear ourselves saying things we thought we would never say. We may resort to using guilt, manipulation, ultimatums, and responding with unprecedented levels of anger. The child who was once bragged about may now be a source of embarrassment. We blame all of these problems on our difficult teenagers, but the fact is they are simply exposing the wrong thoughts and desires of our hearts.

“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” James 4:1 (ESV)

There’s Hope!

When we begin to recognize, own, confess, and turn from our own wrong heart attitudes and actions there is a difference in our relationship with our teens. If we are humbly willing to change we can allow God to work through us as His instruments of encouragement and change for our teens. These years are not meant to be merely survived! They should be approached with a sense of hope and mission. Bringing God’s hope, help, and truth to our teens is much better than hiding our heads in the sand and waiting for the storms to pass.

I’m praying for you! Let me know how I can help or better serve you and your family.

in HIS service,

Pastor Mark

P.S. The themes and main ideas come from Paul David Tripp’s book “Age of Opportunity”. I’m summarizing what I read, adding my own thoughts and Scripture too.

You can read past posts on our church website HERE.