Never Give Up on Your Children

Even when raised in godly homes, kids sometimes rebel. Sometimes children go astray—and parents feel like they somehow failed. My own sons had prodigal times in their lives. Both strayed from their faith for a time. But we never gave up on them. And both of them came back to Christ.

Jesus told a story of a prodigal son. There was a dad who had two sons. The youngest son came to him and asked for his portion of the inheritance. It wasn’t long until that boy had blown the family fortune on prostitutes, drunkenness, and all kinds of things. One day, the son—starving to death, miserable, and broke—makes his way home. Jesus says the father saw the son and began to run toward him and threw his arms around him, saying, "This my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found" (see Luke 15:11–24).

Here is the point I want to bring up: this boy was raised in a loving home but he still rebelled. This can happen. If you have a child that goes prodigal, stay true to your beliefs. Hold your course. When my son Christopher was in his prodigal phase, he always knew I cared. I kept communication open even if he didn’t communicate with me. He always knew I loved him.

Maybe it is a hard day for you today. Maybe you haven’t heard from your kids lately. Maybe you haven’t talked to them for a while. They don’t call. They don’t want your faith and they don’t want your life. But don’t give up—we should never give up on our kids. Keep praying.

Listen to this: your children can escape your presence but they can never escape your prayers. Keep praying for them.