Hope for Parents of Prodigals

Few things are as painful for a Christian parent as a child who turns away from his or her faith. And the deeper the pain, the deeper our need for hope.

Maybe that’s why the story of the prodigal son has remained one of the most beloved parables in Scripture for centuries.

The story doesn’t make promises or guarantees about “wayward” children, of course. But it does offer hope to parents in desperate need of it.

Mixed with the sadness of having a child who has drifted is the guilt parents often feel. In their minds, they’ve failed in their efforts to lead their child to Christ. At some point, almost all Christian parents have blamed themselves for not parenting their child better.

But parenting isn’t that black and white. Sometimes it all boils down to how the child sees life and the decisions he or she chooses to make. Yes, moms and dads make mistakes too. But don’t forget, we can’t be perfect parents any more than we can be perfect human beings. We all fail.

Still, we would give our lives for our sons or daughters. So when we see them walking away from the faith, knowing the implications it’ll have on their lives – and possibly their eternity – our hearts break.

Many of you reading these words are in the midst of that kind of pain, guilt, and uncertainty right now, and you’re in need of the kind of hope that only God himself can provide.

Your struggle is why we’re airing a message by Rob Parsons over the next couple of programs. Professionally, Rob is the founder and chairman of Care for the Family in the United Kingdom. But as a parent, Rob is intimately familiar with what you’re going through, having prayed and shed tears over a prodigal of his own.

Using Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son as the backdrop for his talk, Rob offers real hope and encouragement to parents facing your circumstances. He also shares some practical ideas to help moms and dads cooperate with the Lord in influencing their children to return to the values they’ve been taught.

I encourage you to join us over the next couple of days for this very special message, “Bringing Home the Prodigals.” Hear the broadcast on your local radio station, online, or via our free, downloadable mobile phone app.

 

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family, pop culture July 9, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura