Advice to Parents of Wayward Children, 2 of 9

He also said: "A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.' So he distributed the assets to them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living. - Luke 15:11-13 HCSB

Try not to take the rejection of wayward children personally. You are collateral damage – a casualty of war. It’s usually more about them trying to make their own minds up concerning obeying God’s commands than it is about rejecting your ways.

Didn’t the Lord say to Samuel, “They have not rejected you, but they have rejected me…they have forsaken Me and served other gods – so they are doing to you also?[1]” The hardness of the wayward child’s heart has rendered them callous. If they continue down that path, they will give themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity and their desire for sin will only increase.[2]

Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their thoughts. They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more. Trust me when I tell you that, regardless of what they may say, their conscience is disturbing them and they know no peace. The Scriptures baldly state that all humans know about God instinctively because God has put this knowledge in their hearts.[3] They have to push the truth away from themselves.

You may think, “But they’re smarter than this! Why are they making these stupid mistakes?” The Scriptures state that when we refuse to submit to God as He presents Himself, we become foolish and our minds become dark and confused. Essentially, sin makes one stupid. Witness the Prodigal son who profligately wasted his inheritance in the face of an oncoming famine. In describing his repentance, the Scriptures use the phrase “when he came to his senses…”[4] It’s like sin lulled his mind into a dulled, quasi-conscious, sleep walking state.

Sometimes our children reject the Way in order to pursue other gods: materialism, popularity, power, sensuality. And as you stand for truth and God’s Word, you will also be rejected. But remember that it is not primarily about you. You just happen to be in the way in this battle for their soul.

[1] 1 Samuel 8:7-9
[2] Ephesians 4:17-19
[3] Romans 1:18-20 cp Ecclesiastes 3:11
[4] Luke 15:17