Blended Families Part 9: A Plan for Successful Step-Parenting We’ve all heard the saying, “Fail to plan; plan to fail.” In last week’s post, “You’re not my dad!” we talked about the challenges step-parents face when children don’t recognize...
“You’re not my dad!” “I don’t have to listen to you!” “You can’t tell me what to do!” I wonder how many times those statements have been made in step-families.Or how about these, “They’re your kids, you deal with it!” or “They’re my kids, I’ll handle it!”How does God expect us to handle these issues? Should the step-parent back off and let the biological parent deal with his or her children? Should we get into a power struggle and make sure the child knows who’s boss? Are children the sole responsibility of their natural parents?
Last week we talked about angry children. But we can’t talk about angry children without asking ourselves if there are things we might be doing, intentionally or unintentionally, that provoke our children to anger.Ephesians 6.4 says, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”And Colossians 3.21 says, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart.”While each of us, including our children, is responsible for his or her behavior, we can’t read those two verses without admitting we can make it easier for our children to become angry or exasperated.
We’ve all seen them or experienced them, blended families with angry, resentful children or teens. And parents who are just trying to “live through it” until the kids are old enough to leave home. In some cases, the children aren’t only angry but are in full-blown rebellion. I don’t have to tell you this falls far short of God’s best for families.How does this happen when couples start out with such high hopes for their marriages and families?
The Bible has a great deal to say about wisdom and its flip side, foolishness. In this series we’re looking at what it means to be wise and, by comparison, what it means to be foolish and how to recognize...
In previous posts, we’ve looked at some of the problems that are often present in blended families. We’ve talked about taking the logs out of our own eyes so we can see clearly. We’ve looked at some of God’s promises and, in the last blog, we talked about changing our goal from liking each other to loving each other with God’s kind of love. But there’s an even bigger goal that needs to become our number one priority.
Blended families are everywhere. Maybe your family is a blended or step-family. If so, you know blended families face unique challenges and issues. But while our problems may be unique in their details, the heart issues involved are much the same as those individuals and all families face.
Blended Families Part 1: “The Losses and the Gains” Blended families—they’re everywhere. Maybe your family is a blended or step-family. If so, you know blended families face unique challenges and issues. They also face the everyday problems of living with...
If you spend hours in prayer each day and your prayer life is always amazing, this post probably isn’t for you. But if like me, you sometimes feel like you’re going through the motions or you don’t always connect with God the way you would like, you might want to keep reading about my favorite book on prayer, The Power of Prayer in a Believer’s Life.
Is there really one verse that could change your marriage forever? Could it change other relationships, as well? I believe there is! First, let me say that knowing this verse won’t change your marriage. Even memorizing this verse...
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