This article was originally published in 2007.

 THE TEENAGE YEARS--for many Christian parents this is a very scary thought!  From rebellion to sex, drugs, and suicide, our teenagers are faced with many challenges. Consequently, countless parents are sincerely afraid of what these years might hold for their teenage son or daughter. When any parent, myself included, looks around and sees the mess that many young people have made of their lives and the hurt and shame that they have caused their parents, one can’t help but wonder if their little baby might someday become the “monsters” that are prevalent in our society today.  Let me encourage you by letting you know that there is hope! Many parents have raised their children to live for God and have not been devastated during the often “turbulent teenage” years.  Therefore, because others have successfully raised teenagers for the Lord despite our ungodly society, you and I can as well. Since I have been in the youth ministry, I have witnessed the good, the bad, and the ugly.  No doubt I have seen some young people blow it!  But I have also seen many teenagers grow in Christ, show great Christian character, and avoid the typical teenage rebellion. How is this possible? The next few articles will offer Biblical insight into avoiding the ruin of rebellion and building healthy parent/teen relationships.

Our world tells us that there is nothing that can be done to avoid the conflict between parent and teenager, but the truth is that there is a lot that can be done.  The young person who has given his or her heart to Jesus Christ should not even consider a rebellious attitude as a possibility.  Because Christ indwells the believer, he or she is more than capable of overcoming the inward fleshly desires to be rebellious.  Thus, as you can tell, I am not going to attribute the conflict to either hormonal imbalances or to various disorders, for the main problem is one that most counselors and doctors would never diagnose.  It is sin--the fallen, human nature at battle inside of the teenager.  Over the next few months, I want to deal with how parents can help their young person through this often turbulent time. Let’s take an honest look into God’s Word and learn how to cultivate loving, healthy relationships between parents and teenagers.