parenting teenagers with grace

For parents of teens, a list worth memorizing:

• The grace to love them when they don’t want to be loved.

• The grace to love when they are not very loveable.

• The grace to keep giving when it seems I can never give enough.

• The grace to keep giving when there’s no giving in return.

• The grace to forgive when I know the sin will be repeated again…and again.

• The grace to ask forgiveness even when most of the sin was on the other side...

• The grace to communicate when there’s no communication in return.

• The grace to offer help when help is not welcomed.

• The grace to give advice, when the advice will be rejected...

• The grace to be resented for my love...

• The grace to never be told, “Dad you were right and I was wrong.”...

• The grace to accept that I’ll never be the super-parent I wanted to be and others seem to be.

Read the rest here.