CHRISTIAN PARENTS of ESTRANGED ADULT CHILDREN Community Group
Estrangement makes it difficult to talk about with family, friends, neighbors and church members. Christians are NOT immune to broken families. Talk about your experiences with those who know how you feel and get positive support through your Christian faith...."In these last days difficult times will come, for men will be lovers of self...disobedient to parents,...
From the book by Ruth Bell Graham
Life Lessons
Dear Father, You have privileged me to watch my girls grow and claim their own space as You have moved them through the various stages of life. Please help them to learn these things:
First, to ACCEPT. A lot of things in life they must just accept - such as how people are. They need to learn that they can't change another person unless the person feels the need. May they know early in adulthood that "in acceptance lieth peace."
Second, add GRATITUDE along with the acceptance of people and circumstances. May they express gratitude all around - lower expectations and higher appreciation.
Third, to FOCUS or PRIORITIZE. Help them quickly to center their life on Jesus, Your beloved Son. May He be their way, truth, and life. May their relationship with You each year be more knowing. May the Word be their main shaper. Help them to hunger for it as part of their daily diet, and feel undernourished without it. Keep them from unhealthy compulsion and make it just desire. May their "goal be God."
Fourth, help them to RELINQUISH. I've found it hard to let some things go. Some dreams, rights, friends, ideas need to be "let go." Help them to relinquish and yield for their own health's sake. May they find out quickly that attempting to control everything is too much power and brings emptiness. I pray Your "all of grace" gift to them so that they will cling only to what is real and lasting.
I pray this for them also, Father. Make them great LEARNERS. "Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls"(Matt. 11:29). Answer this for them, I pray. Each is very creative. May their creativity be motivated by a PASSION for the work of building Your kingdom.
I love You above them, dear Father, but I do love them so deeply.
Ruth Claudette Rambo
Life Lessons
Dear Father, You have privileged me to watch my girls grow and claim their own space as You have moved them through the various stages of life. Please help them to learn these things:
First, to ACCEPT. A lot of things in life they must just accept - such as how people are. They need to learn that they can't change another person unless the person feels the need. May they know early in adulthood that "in acceptance lieth peace."
Second, add GRATITUDE along with the acceptance of people and circumstances. May they express gratitude all around - lower expectations and higher appreciation.
Third, to FOCUS or PRIORITIZE. Help them quickly to center their life on Jesus, Your beloved Son. May He be their way, truth, and life. May their relationship with You each year be more knowing. May the Word be their main shaper. Help them to hunger for it as part of their daily diet, and feel undernourished without it. Keep them from unhealthy compulsion and make it just desire. May their "goal be God."
Fourth, help them to RELINQUISH. I've found it hard to let some things go. Some dreams, rights, friends, ideas need to be "let go." Help them to relinquish and yield for their own health's sake. May they find out quickly that attempting to control everything is too much power and brings emptiness. I pray Your "all of grace" gift to them so that they will cling only to what is real and lasting.
I pray this for them also, Father. Make them great LEARNERS. "Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls"(Matt. 11:29). Answer this for them, I pray. Each is very creative. May their creativity be motivated by a PASSION for the work of building Your kingdom.
I love You above them, dear Father, but I do love them so deeply.
Ruth Claudette Rambo
We want our kids to be respectful to us as God-given parents, but their primary need is to repent and turn to Jesus or repent and return as a Prodigal child. As it says above, when Jesus is the center of their lives, they begin to see life differently.