Dr. Dobson's Parenting Devotional - Jan. 29

Space Flight

“The righteous will live by faith.”
Romans 1:17

The early days of the American space program were thrilling times. John Glenn and other astronauts would blast off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral into the “last frontier.” Their return voyages were especially dangerous. When a spacecraft reentered earth’s atmosphere, only a heat shield on the bottom of the capsule protected it from temperatures exceeding one thousand degrees Fahrenheit. During this phase, communication with earth was blacked out for approximately seven minutes. The world would wait anxiously until a reassuring voice finally announced, “This is Mission Control. Everything is A-OK.”

Your kids are a bit like those early astronauts. They one day climb aboard a capsule called adolescence and lift off into uncharted regions of space. Soon you as parents are going through the scariest experience of your lives—you’ve lost all contact with the “capsule.” The same kid who used to talk nonstop has now reduced his vocabulary to “I dunno,” “Maybe,” and “I forget.” It’s a period of great apprehension for those on the ground!

This is the time to remember the words of the apostle Paul: “We live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). You haven’t failed as a parent; your child is simply going through the social and hormonal turbulence of adolescence. If you have raised your kids by God’s principles, your teaching and patience will be rewarded. When the time is right—perhaps in your son or daughter’s early twenties—you will likely reestablish communication and discover that everything is indeed A-OK.

Before you say good night…

• Do you feel like a failure because your child is in a “blackout” period?
• How can you help each other stay confident in your roles as parents?

Father, please forgive us when we forget that You are in control of the lives of our kids. Help us to have a firm faith in You, in Your Word, in the roles You have given us as parents, and in our children. Amen.

Listen to today's broadcast of Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk at OnePlace.com.  For more from Dr. Dobson, visit the resource center at drjamesdobson.org.

This devotional is taken from Night Light for Parents. Copyright © 2000 by James Dobson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission.