Give up!

 

Psalm 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.  

A friend of mine once gave me a refrigerator magnet that read, “Raising Teenagers is Like Trying to Nail Jello to a Tree.”  I remember reading it and wondering what that meant.  I’m still not exactly sure what this saying means, but I am certain that in the midst of raising teenagers, I am coming into a more solid understanding of this silly saying! 

Raising teenagers is a challenge.  I remember the days when my sweet this 5 year old twin boys hung on to every word I said.  I could even tease them and they would believe me.  But something happens to teenagers on their 13^th birthday.  It seems on that very day they develop gross hearing loss and all of the words we say from that day forward are met with deaf ears.  I am reminded by my deaf teenagers that my advice and ideas are from the “old days” and not for the here and now. 

To tell the truth, as soon as the teenage years start, everything our teenagers have promised they wouldn’t do, they find themselves doing.  Everything they swore would never happen, starts happening.  Honestly, I have lost sleep over worrying.  I have worn myself out trying to control things.  I have lost hope in preaching to them.   I have lost my voice trying to persuade them.  So after some consideration, I have decided to give up!

Now I don’t mean I have given up on my teenagers.  That’s not the case.  But I have given up on myself.  I have given up trying to control them.  I have given up on trying to manipulate them to do what I want them to do.  I have given up trying to keep them for myself.  I have given them up to Jesus Christ.  I have handed them over to Him knowing He has all of the wisdom, all of the power, all of the ability to do all that He wants with my teenagers!  I feel so much peace giving up and I think you should give up too! 

This mother gave up….

Luke 7:12-15  As He approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out - the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.  And a large crowd from the town was with her.  When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”  Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still.  He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!”  The dead man sat up and began to talk and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

Here is this mother who could not be more hopeless.  Her son had died.  She cries out to Jesus.  He sees her and has compassion on her.  He meets the child’s need for healing.  And He gives the child back to the mother!  Restoration at its best!  The Mother gave up and Jesus met the child’s need and then He returns him better than he was before!

This Father gave up….

Luke 9:38  A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child.  A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth.  It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him.  I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.  “O unbelieving and perverse generation,”  Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you?  Bring your son here.  Even while the boy was coming, demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion.  But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit and healed the boy and gave him back to his father. 

You see the same pattern?  The father is desperate and He calls out to the One who has the ability to meet his child’s need.  Jesus recognizes the need and responds.  After He delivers the boy from the evil spirit, Jesus hands him back to the father.  Restoration!  The Father gave up and Jesus met the child’s need and then returns him to the father completely changed!    

Even Hannah gave up…

1Samuel 1:11  And she made a vow, saying, “O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head. 

Hannah was desperate.  She called out to the Lord and He heard her.  Before she ever laid eyes on that little baby, she had given up!  She had given him over to the Lord.  As soon as she weaned Samuel, she brought him to the temple.   Of all of the places in the world, Samuel had to stay at Eli’s house!  Eli was a horrible father.  But you see, it didn’t matter where Samuel grew up or what he was exposed to or where he went, Hannah have given up.  She had given up Samuel to the Lord and she trusted Him.  Hannah gave up and Jesus met the child’s needs and He handed him back to Hannah as one of the greatest prophets in history!

So how do we raise awesome teenagers?  What’s our answer?  We give up!  We become hopeless in ourselves.  We give them over to the Lord and He will return them healed, delivered, and changed in ways we could never have accomplished on our own.  Give up!  Hand them over.  Let us call out to the Lord and He will hear us.  He will meet our teenager’s needs in the most amazing ways!   But first, we must give up!