CounselingChristians

Q: I'm struggling with the commandment honor thy mother and thy father.  What if they do not honour or show you respect? Are you just supposed to be treated like garbage by them but yet be oh so kind and loving to them in return anyways? What if there is years of emotional abuse.  Thank goodness my step-dad has now been sober 2 years but there was years of trauma throughout my entire childhood. I'm now 33.... and now my mom drinks and if she has a bad day im the one getting messages at midnight being her punching bag. I have 3 babies under 3 they dont visit much despite them both being retired and only live a few hours away. Which saddens me because my oldest son loves his gma but shes never there. She didnt even show up for my first childs birth which really hurt. She seems to think ive ruined her life and that ive bled them dry because they helped pay for my first car, school, and other things most parents help with. I moved out at 16 and started working at 14 because they ...

Q: The last sermon at church was on forgiveness, and I need some advice. Can we forgive but then choose to love someone from a distance?  My mother continues to overstep boundaries, speaks ill of me and everyone in her life, and completely disregards my feelings saying I'm being too sensitive.  I’m not sure how to handle it at this point. I have prayed for years for a stronger relationship with her. It’s unfortunate, as she is a professing Christian who goes to church every week. A: If its those outside our family and church, possibly. But even thrn, your better off keeping things open so you can minister. Dont cut folk off as you may be the only light of Christ they see. You don't want to be like a Jonah. And if both are saved, you bless and help each other grow more like Christ, (Proverbs 27:17, Eccl. 4:12). Today far too many MZ Alpha Gen folk take a cowardly approach to conflict instead of going & seeking to resolve things. They hide out and avoid. And that's wrong ...

A few days ago I turned 84 years old.  I became a Christian when I was in college at the age of 19, so that means I’ve been a Christian about 65 years. I’ve seen a lot in that time span.  When I woke up this morning (much earlier than I would have liked) I began to think about all the Christian parents I have known during those 65 years who were vastly disappointed in the way their children turned out. I’m not talking about half-hearted Christian parents, but devoted Christian parents who took their parenting very seriously. Naturally, the question that arose in my mind was why. Why did all those good intentions fail so utterly? In several cases I was so close to those parents that I was greatly distressed at what happened.  The next thing that came to my mind was all the serious young Christian parents that are now setting out in their parenting career. Some of these are my grandchildren. Will they come to the same grief with their children? Why does this tragedy get rep...

Q: I am having some struggles around honoring &/or obeying my parents and need advice. A: Here are some helps on this topic. *Open links in a new tab to return to this page. Honoring Father and Mother  Honoring parents at every age and stage Obeying Parents  Honoring an abusive parent  Abounding in forgiveness Right Mindset as Believers Jesus pointed out wrong beliefs and behavior towards caring for parents @32:38 (speaking to adult children) Related:  Dealing with mother in law issues   Cutting people out of our lives Resources: Resources for Growing Believers

Apostle Paul said to Timothy: “when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also” (2 Timothy 1:5). Individually Invite one over for Sunday lunch: Ask your Christian parents & grandparents similar questions and record an audio of it. Ask them some of their favorite Bible verses, Bible stories, and wisdom they learned from Scripture as a young person, and good bible advice they think about as an adult. Ask best wisdom for you as you prepare for college years. Ask how their parents faith influenced them, and who besides them had the most godly influence on them. Ask about how they dealt with some persecution as a young believer and troubles they faced in life because of their faith. Ask to look at their Bible (and flip through it and look at their notes a bit). After their interviee, share some of your current answers with them of those too.  Write up what you learn in...