From; Brenda Walsh Ministries
Witnessing to Adult Children
Many parents suffer the pain of seeing their adult children abandon their faith. Moms and dads who faithfully attended church, prayed, read the Bible, and taught their kids right from wrong are completely blown away when their adult children no longer want anything to do with religion. It leaves them perplexed and wondering, “What did I do wrong?” Even if you did everything perfectly and no one is perfect, once children become “adults,” they have the right to make their own decisions. Like it or not, your parenting days are over. You can no longer insist that they obey you. Constantly nagging and reminding them that you “taught them better than that” isn’t going to work either. In fact, it will only push them further away from God. The best way to witness is to be a living example of Christ, so first you need to renew your own relationship with God. Pray for forgiveness for any mistakes you may have made that impacted them spiritually. Ask for your children’s forgiveness as well and be willing to listen to them respectfully without judgment and criticism. But don’t wallow in regrets and self-pity. Accept God’s forgiveness and the peace that comes with it. Develop a warm relationship with your children and make sure they know that you love them. Don’t preach, nag, judge, or criticize, as that will never win a heart to God. Set a goal to pray daily for your children’s salvation without announcing it to them; doing so might seem condescending and be taken in a negative way. Last but not least, claim God’s promise in Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Even if you don’t have the privilege of seeing your children, surrender their lives to Christ in your lifetime, keep praying. Remember that God will honor your prayers even after you are gone. Text: Isaiah 49:25, Jeremiah 31:16-17, Philippians 1:6, Proverbs 20:7