Advice #64
ADVICE DAD NEVER GAVE YOU
Ralph Sorter
Quote from the musical “Les Miserables”: On the doorway to Paradise is inscribed, “Those that stumble and fall must pay the price.”
The quote made me think of our children and their journey to Heaven. Every godly parent wants their children to safely reach the Gate…for on this Gate is inscribed, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one enters but through Me.”
The road of life has enough bumps to deal with; our children don’t need someone standing at the junction of the detours coaxing them to go the wrong direction. That’s where parents can play a vital role…helping our children choose the right friends.
Woe to the child whose friends cause them to stumble. Blessed is the child who has friends who point them in the right direction. Every parent needs to carefully listen to their child as they talk about their friends. Listen for values, relationships with their parents and those in authority. Listen for what activities they get involved with and if they get in trouble for wrong choices. Then gently, but firmly guide your child to choosing friends that are good for them.
That leads to the question: What is a good friend? I’ve relied on this definition: A good friend is one who makes you better than what you are. A good friend may have to make some tough calls and not side with you, but point you in a better direction. That kind of advice is worth a million bucks…and a friend that steers you away from the detours and wrong paths is worth a billion bucks.
Your children may resist your interference with their friends when they are young. But when they have a few years behind them and they see the direction their friend ended up taking, they will crown you with loving gratitude. You only need to look over your shoulder at some of your own wrong paths taken to see the value of good friends.
A Message from HOPE’S
Marriage & Family Ministry
ADVICE DAD NEVER GAVE YOU
Ralph Sorter
Quote from the musical “Les Miserables”: On the doorway to Paradise is inscribed, “Those that stumble and fall must pay the price.”
The quote made me think of our children and their journey to Heaven. Every godly parent wants their children to safely reach the Gate…for on this Gate is inscribed, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one enters but through Me.”
The road of life has enough bumps to deal with; our children don’t need someone standing at the junction of the detours coaxing them to go the wrong direction. That’s where parents can play a vital role…helping our children choose the right friends.
Woe to the child whose friends cause them to stumble. Blessed is the child who has friends who point them in the right direction. Every parent needs to carefully listen to their child as they talk about their friends. Listen for values, relationships with their parents and those in authority. Listen for what activities they get involved with and if they get in trouble for wrong choices. Then gently, but firmly guide your child to choosing friends that are good for them.
That leads to the question: What is a good friend? I’ve relied on this definition: A good friend is one who makes you better than what you are. A good friend may have to make some tough calls and not side with you, but point you in a better direction. That kind of advice is worth a million bucks…and a friend that steers you away from the detours and wrong paths is worth a billion bucks.
Your children may resist your interference with their friends when they are young. But when they have a few years behind them and they see the direction their friend ended up taking, they will crown you with loving gratitude. You only need to look over your shoulder at some of your own wrong paths taken to see the value of good friends.
A Message from HOPE’S
Marriage & Family Ministry
ADVICE DAD NEVER GAVE YOU
Ralph Sorter
Quote from the musical “Les Miserables”: On the doorway to Paradise is inscribed, “Those that stumble and fall must pay the price.”
The quote made me think of our children and their journey to Heaven. Every godly parent wants their children to safely reach the Gate…for on this Gate is inscribed, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one enters but through Me.”
The road of life has enough bumps to deal with; our children don’t need someone standing at the junction of the detours coaxing them to go the wrong direction. That’s where parents can play a vital role…helping our children choose the right friends.
Woe to the child whose friends cause them to stumble. Blessed is the child who has friends who point them in the right direction. Every parent needs to carefully listen to their child as they talk about their friends. Listen for values, relationships with their parents and those in authority. Listen for what activities they get involved with and if they get in trouble for wrong choices. Then gently, but firmly guide your child to choosing friends that are good for them.
That leads to the question: What is a good friend? I’ve relied on this definition: A good friend is one who makes you better than what you are. A good friend may have to make some tough calls and not side with you, but point you in a better direction. That kind of advice is worth a million bucks…and a friend that steers you away from the detours and wrong paths is worth a billion bucks.
Your children may resist your interference with their friends when they are young. But when they have a few years behind them and they see the direction their friend ended up taking, they will crown you with loving gratitude. You only need to look over your shoulder at some of your own wrong paths taken to see the value of good friends.