Homeschool High School - Outlast the Storms

Jesus and his disciples are sailing to their next destination, when disaster strikes. rnAs they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples. Luke 8: 23-25 rnIt seemed like a routine sailing rnFor more than a dozen years you have parented this child, and it feels like you have seen it all. There have been ups and downs, and there is no struggle that is new under the sun. Your child is just your child - and you have adapted. rnA sudden squall and great danger. rnThe unexpected happens. Not only is there conflict, but you no longer even recognize your child. Not surprising, because adulthood has begun, and your baby is no longer a child at all. In the midst of this growing up, there is sometimes huge difficulty. rnPanic and beliefs go out the window rnUnexpected behaviors, situations and hormones consume your growing child - and overwhelm your ability to rationalize, and cope. Panic. Parents sometimes believe all is lost; game over. Failure. rnWhere is your faith? rnThis moment in parenting is when you most need your faith. This is where the rubber meets the road! You have to hang on to the fact that you have trained your child is the way they should go, and have faith that they will not depart from it when they are old. rnArrive safely at the shore rnGod's promise is that you will arrive at the shore. The crisis will end, and God's plan for your child's life WILL come to pass. The Lord controls nature, the wind and waves. Certainly he can control the squall within your child, and work his purposes. His plan for your child was made with the assumptions that this squall would occur - he already knew it would happen. Only the parents are surprised - not God. rnParents sometimes face a difficult time in the storm of adolescence, and their child is unrecognizable due to impending adulthood. This passage urges you to have faith! Do not give up hope, because all is not lost. The Lord knew in advance this would happen, although he does not necessarily approve of the choices people make from their own free will. But the Lord has made us a promise; Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. We WILL see the shore. We WILL arrive on the shore safely. No adolescent storm, no matter how dangerous, can thwart the Lord's plans.