try what everybody says. First, I’m going to go to Oprah and see what she has to say about this. Then maybe I’ll tune into this Christian documentary. I’ll try that. Yeah! A new oar! A motor boat! Row, row, row...
You may not know this. Did you know that “God helps those who helps themselves” is not in the Bible? The truth of the matter is it’s not there. Desperation is not a prerequisite to God’s intervention. You don’t have to wait until you just can’t do it any more. You can step up and say, “I’m just going to trust God with this right now and I’m going to live my life and I’m going to let him deal with this.” At some point these sailors learned that their strength wasn’t enough. At some point they got it.
So what can you …show more content…
Then they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. The men feared the LORD even more, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows. Jonah 1:15-16
Some at this point are ready to run to their parents or their spouse and say, “Look! That’s what I’ve been telling you! Just throw me in the sea. I’m no good for this family. It’s my fault and I know it. I’m just worthless!” OK, Drama Mama, stop it! Do you really think that you being gone is the best thing for your family? No! It’s not the best thing for your family for you to be gone. The best thing for your family is for you to be whole; for you to be healed; for you to get right with all of this and lay it all down and let God to begin to make a blessing out of your life.
What these sailors did was exercise tough love. Maybe in your situation tough has been tried. Threats, control, even harsh punishment. Love has also been tried, right? Overlooking, covering, and removing painful responsibility. So, it’s not just tough and it’s not just love that works. It’s not just “I’m going to get even with you. I’m going to throw you out on the street.” That’s not the answer. It is this, “I’m sorry, but you are going to have to deal with this one on your own.” The point is, they did what they needed to do to bring discipline to the life of …show more content…
They won’t listen to me. They don’t respect me!” You just said the two words that turn the tables over...”don’t respect.” In my world that means you can forget that cell phone until the next presidential election. You can forget me trusting you with a car. It’s gone. Don’t bring it up. Don’t ask when. It’s not even on the planet right now. The car you will drive hasn’t even been made yet and you’re going to get it when it’s five years old! Don’t respect me? You have to understand that my job is to protect you. And my job is to grow you. Tough love does not accept the lack of
You may not know this. Did you know that “God helps those who helps themselves” is not in the Bible? The truth of the matter is it’s not there. Desperation is not a prerequisite to God’s intervention. You don’t have to wait until you just can’t do it any more. You can step up and say, “I’m just going to trust God with this right now and I’m going to live my life and I’m going to let him deal with this.” At some point these sailors learned that their strength wasn’t enough. At some point they got it.
So what can you …show more content…
Then they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. The men feared the LORD even more, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows. Jonah 1:15-16
Some at this point are ready to run to their parents or their spouse and say, “Look! That’s what I’ve been telling you! Just throw me in the sea. I’m no good for this family. It’s my fault and I know it. I’m just worthless!” OK, Drama Mama, stop it! Do you really think that you being gone is the best thing for your family? No! It’s not the best thing for your family for you to be gone. The best thing for your family is for you to be whole; for you to be healed; for you to get right with all of this and lay it all down and let God to begin to make a blessing out of your life.
What these sailors did was exercise tough love. Maybe in your situation tough has been tried. Threats, control, even harsh punishment. Love has also been tried, right? Overlooking, covering, and removing painful responsibility. So, it’s not just tough and it’s not just love that works. It’s not just “I’m going to get even with you. I’m going to throw you out on the street.” That’s not the answer. It is this, “I’m sorry, but you are going to have to deal with this one on your own.” The point is, they did what they needed to do to bring discipline to the life of …show more content…
They won’t listen to me. They don’t respect me!” You just said the two words that turn the tables over...”don’t respect.” In my world that means you can forget that cell phone until the next presidential election. You can forget me trusting you with a car. It’s gone. Don’t bring it up. Don’t ask when. It’s not even on the planet right now. The car you will drive hasn’t even been made yet and you’re going to get it when it’s five years old! Don’t respect me? You have to understand that my job is to protect you. And my job is to grow you. Tough love does not accept the lack of